


It's Not the Same

by Do_not_careissa



Series: Star Sapphire Jason [8]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Green Lantern - All Media Types, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Anxiety, Batfamily is a Mess (DCU), Blood and Injury, Coma, Dad Jokes, Good Dad Hal Jordan, Good Parent Talia al Ghul, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentions of Suicidal Thoughts, Protective Jason Todd, Protective Kyle Rayner, Red Lantern Dick Grayson, Self-Worth Issues, Star Sapphire Jason Todd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:53:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 23,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24493060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Do_not_careissa/pseuds/Do_not_careissa
Summary: Jason knew he'd return to Earth eventually, it was inevitable. He had too many people he cared about, too many things he had to do, too many promises he needed to keep. A few more months, that's when he and the Lanterns assumed  he would go back, but clearly the universe has other plans. Dick's become a Red Lantern and for how much of an outcast Jason may be amongst the family and Earth's heroes, he can't just stand by and do nothing. At least he won't be alone this time.
Relationships: Guy Gardner & Jason Todd, Guy Gardner/Hal Jordan, Hal Jordan & Jason Todd, Koriand'r & Jason Todd, Kyle Rayner & Donna Troy, Kyle Rayner/Jason Todd, Talia al Ghul & Jason Todd
Series: Star Sapphire Jason [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1632121
Comments: 41
Kudos: 410





	It's Not the Same

**Author's Note:**

> Quick warning for serious medical injuries including a coma, mentions of past suicidal thoughts and possible future thoughts or attempts, deformity of the hands (might count as body horror), and a few sexual jokes and references.

“No.”

He’d expected the answer, really, he’d known it was coming. It didn’t mean he liked it. Rankorr stood by, watching as Atrocitus circled the new Red Lantern, appraising the snarling man before him with Dex-starr resting on his shoulder. The cat was no doubt telling him everything he’d learned of this Richard Grayson, every little secret and weakness to exploit, every strength and skill to take advantage of. Atrocitus was clearly impressed, his eyes shining with sadistic glee as he watched Richard’s hair twitch and sway as though it were alive even as the man remained completely still. Rankorr had seen how the red light could change people, the different ways it could distort and disfigure someone, how it could take something so ordinary and make it look like it’d been pulled right out of a horror movie. He knew he was an example himself, his eyes no longer brown, his hair now literal flames, but he could hide it, he had the awareness and control to do it if he so chose.

Richard did not.

Teeth, lips, and chin painted in blood, it looked like he’d tried to eat someone. It looked like he might have succeeded. Eyes dull yet somehow still full of that rage that coursed through every Red Lantern at their creation followed Atrocitus as he stalked around him. And his hair, bloody hell what was it with these rings and changing human men’s hair? He’d seen the man a mere week ago and it had hardly reached past his jawline yet now it stood somewhere around his waist, swaying and writhing, ready to snap out at anyone who got too close, possibly even stab them. Knowing what he did, such a thing wouldn’t surprise him.

It left the man looking like a mix between the Grudge, Medusa, and a vampire with no table manners, all with a touch of righteous fury and vengeance to spice things up.

“He doesn’t go in the blood lake,” Atrocitus declared, eyes roaming across the sea of Red Lanterns. He stopped briefly at Rankorr, daring him to speak.

“Without the lake he has no mind, no direction or ability to think,” Rankorr argued, pushing through the mass to get closer to the only other human on this god forsaken planet. “Surely he’d be more useful if he could think for himself.”

“Blind as ever.”

He could see Dex-starr, the furry asshole, snickering from his perch on Atrocitus’s shoulder. Atrocitus reached up and scratched behind the cat’s ear. 

“Your fellow Earthman has tremendous skills, skills that will be useful to us and our cause. But he has friends as well. Earth’s heroes, aliens, no doubt the Green Lanterns. No, if we put him in the lake he’ll run. That imbecile Gardner would no doubt steal him away, just as he stole away my corps.” His eyes once again flashed at him, a reminder that he hadn’t forgotten when Rankorr stood by as Guy Gardner took his ring, that he had remained there with Bleez and the others instead of following Dex-Starr in helping Atrocitus. He turned away, reaching forward with a large, imposing hand, running one of his nails down Richard’s cheek to his jaw, the human’s hair wrapping itself his arm in warning. Atrocitus chuckled, deep and dark and ugly. “No, Rankorr, he stays like this.”

He turned his head, yellow eyes boring into Rankorr’s with a clear threat. He hand retreated from Richard’s face, untangling from the inky blackness that surrounded it. He stalked to Rankorr, towering over him as he glared down.

“Do I make myself clear?”

Dex-starr’s eyes shone with glee as he looked down on him, thoroughly enjoying his master’s actions. 

“Yes, Atrocitus,” he forced himself to say, fire boiling in his veins.

“Good.” The alien stomped off, cat in tow. Richard remained where they’d left him, as still as a statue. It was unsettling when the new Reds were like this, when their uncontrollable rage manifested itself into this silent storm rather than the loud and spitting figure that most became. It wasn’t surprising, not with what Rankorr had learned of the man, but it left him uneasy, angry that he hadn’t been given his chance to clear the man’s mind as he’d promised.

Bleez moved towards him, a bone of her wing trailing along his back as she got closer. The gesture could only do so much to calm his growing rage at the situation.

“Careful Rankorr,” she hummed, eyes sharp as she looked between him and Richard. “We don’t want our _great leader_ to know what you’re thinking, now do we? There are witnesses after all.”

Tearing his gaze away from his fellow man he turned to glare at her. They’d had this discussion, what to do when their opportunity came, when to make use of certain allies. But they had to be careful, Atrocitus couldn’t know what they were thinking, what he planned to do.

“I didn’t think so,” she whispered.

* * *

Movie night at Warriors was easily one of Jason’s favorite events. The bar would fill up with Green Lanterns, all ready to drink and eat and watch whatever films had been scrounged up that week. Somehow the Lanterns had mangled together a machine that could play movies from any planet no matter the form. Discs, cubes, chips, straight up sludge, it all worked. Jason had no idea how it worked, he was pretty sure no one else did either. No one was complaining though, it was free entertainment after all.

The Earth Lanterns sat in what John deemed their booth, the wrap around more than large enough to fit at least ten of them. It made sense, there were six Earth GLs after all, plus whoever joined them. Considering the size of some of these Lanterns, the extra space was definitely warranted.

“We’ll introduce you to Simon and Jessica when you get back to Earth, or when they have to come here,” John promised. “They’re good kids, you’ll get along just fine.”

“Simon and Jess are definitely not kids,” Kyle joked from Jason’s other side.

“You’re all kids to us,” Hal retorted, ruffling his hair.

“Yeah?” Kyle grumbled, squirming away from Hal and his greasy hand, nearly falling into Jason’s lap. “Then what does that make Guy?”

“The cool step mom that’s not nearly old enough to be real your real mom,” Guy answered without pause, smirk firmly in place as he watched Kyle run the response through his head.

“What the hell do you mean—wait, wait, you two are—what, since when?” he demanded, pitch steadily rising.

“Mid December,” Jason answered, calm as ever as he stole a handful of Hal’s fries. Noticing Kyle’s questioning look he tapped his temple. “I’ve read them, remember? Let’s me feel their emotions, see a few memories, ring any bells?”

Kyle put his face in his hands, ignoring the chuckles from the three older Lanterns. “Mid-December. You two have been shacking up together for almost four months and you didn’t say anything,” he groaned, his voice muffled by his palms.

“I thought it was pretty obvious,” John admitted. “Guy isn’t exactly the most subtle of people you know.”

“I don’t know John, it took this idiot seein’ a bit of skin to catch a hint.” Guy shoved Hal to the side, receiving his own shove in retaliation. “What? I show a bit of chest and the first thing you could say to me when Jason was gone was ‘Dear god, you’re flirting with me, aren’t you?’ I’ve done so much other shit over the years and it’s a little bit of cleavage that got your attention.”

“That is completely untrue—” Hal’s defense was cut off as his ring announced an incoming call from Carol, her voice coming through sounding panicked. He quickly slipped past Guy out of the booth, receiving a peck to the cheek from Guy if for nothing else than to see Kyle squirm, before heading away from the main area of the bar. “Carol, what’s wrong?”

Jason watched his retreat, concerned at their tones. Carol didn’t sound okay, her voice clipped, serious, far too serious. Something was wrong.

“Hey,” Kyle said softly, fingers running over Jason’s palm. “It’s okay. Whatever’s going on, if it’s an issue Hal will tell us.”

“Yeah, but…” Jason trailed off, unsure of what to do, let alone what to say. Carol didn’t sound alright, hell in the five months he’d known her he couldn’t remember her ever sounding like that. To an outsider she might just sound too serious, but he knew that wasn’t it. She sounded worried, panicked even.

“Carol’s got a lot on her plate,” John explained, hand resting on Jason’s shoulder. “Hal’s one of her oldest friends, they’ve known each other since they were kids. Sometimes she just needs someone to vent to, who isn’t going to judge her for being angry or upset. Hal’s managed to fill that spot somehow, even with all of his baggage. It might just be another case of that.”

“And if it’s not?”

“Then we’ll handle it all the same.”

He looked down at the table as he nodded, brows creased as he worked his way through the information. It was fine, everything was fine. He let himself relax, John’s hand acting to ground him while Kyle’s moved to soothe his nerves.

“That reminds me!” Guy exclaimed, hands clapping together in excitement. He received a few irritated looks from the bar goers, their movie momentarily interrupted by his outburst. He waved his apologies before turning back to Jason, eyes shining with barely repressed excitement. “We’ve been working on something for ya, us and Carol and a few others back home.”

Jason perked up, ideas running through his head, images of what he could be talking about, who he and the other Lanterns were working with back on Earth. It couldn’t be anything too outlandish right? He hadn’t been back on Earth in months, it’d be a waste of time and resources to do anything too out there.

“Easy tiger,” John laughed, pulling Jason back into the present. “Don’t go too far without us now.”

“What is it?” he asked.

“Well, ya know how back home ya don’t really have an identity? Seeing as to how you’re still legally dead and all?”

“Guy, what did you all do?” Kyle demanded, eyes wide as his hand froze on Jason’s elbow.

“It’s not done yet, but Carol, Roy, and that Talia lady are really close to being done. They’ve been going through the process of making Jason Todd alive again,” Guy explained. “We wanna give you your life back Jay, let you live as, well, as yourself. You won’t have to hide behind some fake name and fake identity, you won’t have to hide anymore. You can just be you, just be Jason.”

Jason stared back, breath caught in his throat as he saw the sincerity in his expression. This wasn’t happening, this couldn’t be real. “How?” he croaked.

“We know you and Roy are close, and Hal is practically his uncle at this point if not closer. He knows that Roy has his ways and his connections, so he got Carol to contact him. Shortly after that Ms. Head found out and started helping,” John said. “I have no idea what all goes into it, especially with how long you’ve been considered dead, but they seem to be nearing the finish line.”

“There is something we need to know though,” Guy continued. “They’re able to go in and change things, names, places, so on. We figured you’d at least want to be through high school, let you get into college if that’s something you wanted to do, or even just have access to getting a normal job. But if there’s anything else you wanna change, we need to know.”

Change? What the hell else could possibly be changed? They’re practically expunging his death certificate, they’re pushing his education up, what more could they possibly do? “What else could there possibly by to change?”

John and Guy exchanged glances, a conversation taking place through eye contact alone. 

“Like parents or guardians,” Kyle said, clearly catching on to why they were so hesitant to answer the question.

Guy nodded. He reached across the table, taking Jason’s hand as he spoke. “You’re an adult so it doesn’t really matter much outside of things like hospital visits, next of kin, stuff like that. But we know that sort of stuff can be sentimental too. If that’s something you wanna change, remove Wayne’s name from your papers, or void the old adoption papers or whatever you want, you just tell us, okay?”

It was honestly something he’d never really thought of before. Parents, they’d always seemed so absolute, so final. Catherine would always be his mom, no matter how his life deteriorated while he cared for her. In some horrible, sick way Willis would always be his father, the example of a man he never wanted to become. Sheila, his flesh and blood mother, in some fucked up way had left the largest mark on him, had been the reason what was easily the worst day of his life ended in his death. But Bruce… God, what even was Bruce? He could remember times, times from years long past, before the pain and the hatred and the death, back to when the man would carry him up the hard stairs of the batcave, back to when he’d skip patrol to stay in with him when he was sick. Bruce had been his dad, but he knew that was gone, had been for a while now. He needed to stop being so caught up in their past, needed to accept it for what it was and move on. Bruce clearly didn’t have any problems doing so, why shouldn’t he? But Hal and John and Guy, Carol and Talia, they filled that void that had been open since his death. Maybe…

“We’ve got a situation,” Hal interrupted, any signs of his earlier aloofness gone as he set his hands on the table.

“C’mon babe, it can’t be that bad. Here, sit down, your fries are gonna go cold,” Guy said, pulling Hal’s wrist to drag him back down into the booth.

“No, no, Guy it’s, fuck.”

“Hal, what’s wrong?” John demanded, the earlier tenderness in his voice gone as he looked to Hal for answers.

“We’ve got another Red Lantern on Earth,” Hal said, eyes darting around and yet somehow managing to avoid Jason.

Guy blew out a huff, kneading the man’s shoulder. “That’s not that big a deal darlin’. Yeah it sucks, but the Reds’ll throw whoever it is in the blood lake. One more guy in red fighting against us, it sucks, yeah, and it bein’ another one from Earth? Fucking weird, but it’s not the end of the universe.”

“Guy, you don’t…” Hal dropped his head, into his hands as he let Guy pull him down, clearly frustrated. It put Jason on edge, seeing the man who’d always been so calm and such a source of stability over the last few months turn into this anxious state over a simple phone call. A minute later, after collecting himself, Hal looked up to Jason with sympathy. “The new Red, it’s Nightwing. It’s Dick Grayson.”

Jason felt his blood run cold as he met Hal’s pained eyes. Dick was… no that wasn’t possible. Dick wouldn’t… no. 

“What do we do?” he heard himself ask, not really processing that he was the one to say it.

“We get him back,” Guy answered, hand tight on Hal’s wrist. “We go to Ysmault, kick Atrocitus’s ass, and we get him back.”

* * *

Asteroids and meteors, they were, well, they were the definition of an easy target. Just kind of floating there in space, not really doing much of anything. They made for an easy target when one needed to expel some of their pain. Destruction via fist or power ring, it didn’t matter, all that mattered was feeling the giant hunks of rock break and shatter apart under his will.

He could feel Kyle watching him, his boyfriend’s gaze burning a path up his spine. Boyfriends, that’s what they were right? They hadn’t really talked about that, though they probably should. But it’d been over a month now, it seemed a bit too late to ask what word they’d use, what exactly they were. Significant others had a ring of finality to it, ringing closer to spouses or fiancés. Partners felt odd, especially considering they used the term so much when referring to the other Lanterns and the heroes back on Earth. It’d just be weird to call the person you’re dating your partner when you also called the guy you worked with your partner, right? Lovers had certain… _connotations_ , ones they hadn’t reached quite yet. What else even was there? Honestly, what the hell were they called?

He yelled in outrage, violet light streaking from his hand to destroy another few asteroids. That wasn’t what he was angry about, not in the slightest, it wasn’t what was leaving this knot of hurt and fear in his chest. No, it was just a distraction. But if he stopped, if he thought about what was really hurting, he’d be stuck down that rabbit hole for a while. 

God, Dick, what the hell could have happened? Dick was the shining example of control, of what a hero was supposed to be both in and out of costume. He’d gone through so much shit over the years, lost so many friends and family, had been beat down and hurt so many times, but he’d always gotten back up stronger than ever. What the hell could have caused him to become a Red Lantern?

He knew getting the ring wasn’t a choice, Guy had explained that to him in as much detail as he could. The ring sought out people filled with rage, with people who wanted vengeance for the pain they’d endured. The ring changed them, blocked all rational and coherent thought until the wearer was placed in some lake of blood on Ysmault, and even that wasn’t a guarantee. Not everyone made it out of the blood lake intact, not everyone even made it out period. But even if it worked, the wearer couldn’t just take off the ring, not if they wanted to live that is. But they couldn’t change what happened before the blood lake, what they’d done in that initial burst of power and pain. Jason could only hope no one was around when the ring got to Dick, that if anyone had been there that it was some no name, lifeless thug, that it wasn’t the family who had to live through seeing that, if for nothing else than Dick’s sake.

He felt hands on his hips, gentle as they held him close, and lips pressed to the back of his neck. He opened his eyes, wondered when the hell he’d squeezed them shut, and turned to find Kyle floating behind him. 

“Talk to me,” he whispered as he brushed a loose strand of Jason’s hair back. “Let me help.”

Jason shifted in his grasp, wrapping his arms around the Lantern before resting his head on the other’s shoulder. This felt so good, so nice, having Kyle here all to himself. It didn’t feel real. Some days he woke up thinking there must have been a mistake, this couldn’t have happened, not to him, not to Jason Todd. But Kyle was still there, even when those thoughts became too much. Even when his Lantern duties took him away, Kyle was quick to call him, almost like he could sense when those thoughts were trying to sink into him. They all did that in their own way, all the Lanterns and Sapphires, they just knew what he needed, when he needed them. It was everything Jason had ever needed, all he’d ever wanted. In so many ways it felt like he didn’t deserve any of it.

Kyle leaned his head down, cheek resting on the side of Jason’s bowed head as his hands shifted higher. “It’s about Nightwing, isn’t it?” he asked, voice gentle as his hands worked at the muscles in Jason’s back.

Jason nodded, forehead still firmly planted on the other’s shoulder. They floated there for a bit, their breathing the only sound in the vast expanse of space. “I just, I don’t get it,” he admitted, pulling back a little. “Dick’s always had a bit of a temper, sure, but he’s always the one in control. He always manages to get through all the bullshit thrown his way. Hell, the man’s been dealing with Bruce for twenty years now and he’s still managed to keep the whole happy, smiley, good guy shit going. I get that the person doesn’t get a choice in if the ring chooses them, I get that part, but how can Dick of all people be a Red? It just doesn’t seem possible.” He sighed, eyes locked down on the Lantern insignia over Kyle’s heart. “If any of the bats were a Red, it’d be me.”

Kyle pulled him closer, drawing their faces together. “Sometimes that calm and control is just a façade. It’s just a mask. The nicest of people can be the angriest. Him being calmer, more in control, all that means is he probably hides it better. In a lot of ways it would’ve been better if he didn’t have that control, means there would be less of a buildup. Just because you don’t seem to have that same control or calmness doesn’t mean you’re angrier Jay, not at all. Once I might’ve thought you could be a Red, yeah, but that was years ago. I didn’t know you, I didn’t even try to know you. But now? There’s no way you could be a Red Lantern.” He chuckled, pecking Jason on the nose. “Only way you’d get a red ring would be if all the others followed suit. That would be nice though,” he grabbed his hand, twirling them around in a small dance, his voice wistful. “You, a White Lantern, me the last White Lantern. It’d be perfect. And if I ever got my powers as a White Lantern back then we wouldn’t even need to worry about shopping for suits for a wedding. That’d be so nice.”

Jason laughed along with him, though much quieter. He moved his hand to Kyle’s shoulder, turning their dance into a small waltz. It was a good thing they were floating, Jason realized, somehow even off the ground Kyle managed to possess two left feet.

As the dance slowed to an end Kyle pursed his lips, eyes focused off in the distance.

“What is it?” Jason probed.

He sighed, closing his eyes before looking back up to Jason. “It’s just, since you left Earth the bats have been, well, breaking apart for lack of a better word. They haven’t been handling themselves or each other all that well and it’s been taking a pretty big toll on all of them. From what I could tell, it was hitting Dick the hardest. It might be why the ring got him now. He seems to have become the de facto head of the family for everyone, basically dad number two.”

“But why? Bruce is…”

“He’s being himself, a lot more than usual. He’s fixated on his own problems, not really paying any attention to the other bats and their issues.”

Jason’s eyes dropped to the side, hands tightening where they held Kyle. He’d questioned his decision to leave Earth for a while, had wondered if it was a good idea to stay away as long as he had. Maybe he was right to have been worried. “It’s my fault,” he whispered, guilt in his voice. “I should’ve...”

“No, no, not at all,” Kyle rushed say. He pulled Jason closer, resting their foreheads together. “Jason, none of this, not a single thing, is your fault. Please, you can’t blame yourself for what they’ve done in your absence.”

“But if I hadn’t left—”

“Then something else would have caused this. Something like this, it doesn’t happen overnight. It sits there and festers, it builds up until it’s ready to explode. Staying wouldn’t have stopped that. All it would have stopped is you being here with me, with John and Hal and Guy right there on Oa waiting for us to get back, with Carol and Roy and Talia waiting for you back on Earth.”

Jason leaned into the hand on his cheek, let his eyes drift shut as he felt the emotions pouring through the simple touch. The affection and love he felt coming through the contact worked to sooth him, calm him just that little bit so he could lean forward and kiss Kyle.

“Can I ask you something?” Kyle asked when they separated. He didn’t sound confident in the question, his voice rough from unease.

Jason cracked open an eye to look back at him. “I don’t see why you can’t,” he answered, “you just did after all.”

Kyle shook his head, laughing at the joke. The feeling rushed through his fingers into Jason’s cheek, sending a fresh wave of joy to him. He was going to get addicted to this if he wasn’t already, he just knew he would. It was too good a feeling not to.

“Why do you bother with them? The bats, they’ve hurt you so much already, why do you still care about them so much?”

“I don’t know.” He sounded lost even to his own ears. He’d asked himself that same question so many times, yet never once had he been able to come up with a feasible explanation. “Family I guess, loyalty. I’ve always wanted the love that comes from a family. I didn’t really get that much with my parents, Willis was always off doing shady shit or was in jail, and mom tried but by the end of it she was too deep in her drugs to know what was going on. When Bruce came along it was so different, so much better. Between him and Alfred I felt loved, like I finally mattered to someone. I guess I just look at the bats and have this want to feel that again, to know what having a dad and siblings that love me is like. The family grew so much while I was gone, and it grew even after I came back. It feels like I should be there, like there’s supposed to be an empty Jason size hole somewhere in there that I should be able to fit into. But there isn’t a hole, it’s not there no matter how hard I look, but I spent so long wanting it all to go back to the way things were, believing it could. I’ve made a routine of it now I guess. Never had a reason to think there was anything else out there for me. Who could really love an undead fuck up like me, right?”

“But that’s changed?”

“Yeah, that’s changed.” He turned his head, kissing Kyle’s palm. “I can’t leave him like that Kyle. I know the bats wouldn’t do the same for me, but I can’t do that to Dick.”

“Then we’ll get him out,” he promised. “We’ll get him away from the Reds and take him to Saint Walker or Mogo or something. We’ll take care of him.”

“Thank you.” He leaned in, holding the other tight.

“Anything for you love.”

* * *

The mood on the Watchtower was bleak to say the least. No one needed to say a thing, Jason didn’t even need to see anyone, he could just feel it in the air. That feeling of loss and despair, that uncertainty of what’s to come, it permeated the League’s base just as it did everyone they passed.

It had taken far too long for them to get the green light to leave Oa, which led to Hal sending Jason, Kyle, and Guy ahead to Earth as he and John stayed behind to figure out what to do from their side. They’d get to them, they’d be at Ysmault when the time came, Hal promised, it was the issue of the here and now. If push came to shove he and John would leave to join them, Guardians’ approval or not. 

The Lanterns followed those two more than they ever followed the Guardians, Guys had told him months ago. If shit needed done, they’d follow Hal and John to the ends of the universe and leave the Guardians in their dust. The role of the Guardians had shifted exponentially over the years for good reason, and it was times like these that showed why that had been necessary.

That left Jason, Guy, and Kyle to find out exactly what happened back on Earth, what was left behind. Jason was the obvious candidate to send, he needed to go back for his own piece of mind if nothing else. Guy had the most experience as a Red Lantern, he understood what it meant better than anyone so he was a no-brainer as well. And Kyle, he was the mixed bag of support, knowledge of the rings, and the middle ground for the Leaguers when it came to the Lanterns. Most of the League didn’t have any particularly strong feelings about him one way or another. Unlike with Hal and Guy their perception of Kylee was pretty neutral, so people generally didn’t question why he asked certain things or why he was in a particular place. While it was annoying to be one of the “preferred” Lanterns, John being the other, it proved to be beneficial in times like this.

“It unlikely whoever caused Dick to go off is still alive,” Guy explained as they neared the space station. “That initial burst of power alongside all that rage, it’s a doozy.”

“So the ring, it can make people who wouldn’t kill go through with it?” Jason asked, more than a little horrified at the thought.

“Yup. You know how you’ve got that voice in your head, says anger ain’t worth it? That that idea you just had, the one where you go after someone and hurt or kill ‘em is only gonna lead to more trouble? Talks ya outta doing stupid shit in anger? The ring blocks it out, if anything it encourages it. And that’s when you’re of sound mind. When you’re not, well.”

“There’s nothing holding you back.”

“Exactly.”

It was a sobering thought, one that reminded him far too much of his days after being dumped in the Lazarus Pit, those days that he was sure must have been a fever dream because there’s no way that happened, no way he’d done those things, never. But really, was it that far removed an idea that he could? He’d had those thoughts before the Pit, before his death. He’d see people when he lived on the streets, when he lived with his mom, pimps, abusers, rapists, he’d seen them and wanted nothing more than for them to drop dead most nights. And when he’d returned to Gotham, well nothing was really holding him back anymore, nothing was stopping him from taking out the piece of shit pedophile who lived down the block, or dealing with the serial rapist a few streets away. There was no Batman looming over his shoulder spouting his hypocrisy over second chances and the greater good. He didn’t have a rich man taking him around Gotham in a brightly colored suit every night who had decided he was the city’s savior, that he knew better than the people actually living there. His anger could be satiated through vengeance, through protecting those who couldn’t protect themselves, but that was Jason, it made sense for him. Just ask Bruce and the other bats.

The idea of such a thing taking hold of Dick, of sinking its teeth into him, changing him, convincing him to do these horrible things, it was horrifying. Dick, like the rest of the bats, had a firm no killing rule. Dick would never cross that line, absolutely not, it just wasn’t him. But to be forced to do it, to have his hands coated in blood against his will, to have his fingerprints on a freshly dead corpse… Jason couldn’t even begin to imagine the state Dick would be in once they healed him, once he was free of the red light’s influence.

They were greeted at the Watchtower sometime later by another Green Lantern, a man with a gun strapped to his thigh. The sight of the firearm took Jason by surprise. A Lantern didn’t need a gun, they had their rings. But then he remembered their limits, how most would run out of power after a certain amount of energy was used. What could a Lantern do then? They were completely defenseless. Studying the man’s masked face, Jason smiled. Clearly this was someone he could get along with.

“This is Simon Baz, one half of our current Earth sided GLs,” Guy introduced him, a hand on Simon’s shoulder. “Simon, this is Jason Todd, newest Star Sapphire. Don’t let the color fool ya, he’ll kick yer ass ten ways to Sunday if ya give him a good enough reason. Truly a kid after my own heart.”

Simon chuckled, offering his hand to Jason. “No offense man, but I doubt that. You’ll need a bit more than some big muscles to convince me.”

He could hear Kyle snickering behind him, no doubt images of them fighting running through his head. Knowing how his mind worked he was probably playing it up, the fantasy as per usual emphasizing certain, ahem, key features of Jason’s physique and outfit. He needed to be careful with those thoughts, they were technically in public after all. Considering Guy’s smirk, he no doubt had a similar image running through his mind, one a bit less lewd.

“Guess it depends on how long you’ve been doing this,” Jason said as he gripped Simon’s hand.

“About two years now,” Simon said with pride.

“Cool, I’m at about ten if we’re just counting the vigilante crime fighting thing overall. Give or take a year or two for the whole death thing of course.”

Simon threw his head back as he laughed, no doubt believing he was joking. Realizing no one else was laughing with him his eyes shot to Guy. “He’s not serious right? I mean, come on, ten years and he’s died and come back? I get I’m not the best at guessing people’s ages, but come on. He can’t be any older than me and Jessica. There’s no way any of that’s true.”

Guy pulled him close, smirk never leaving his face. “Ya ever heard of the Red Hood Simon? The second Robin?”

The colored seemed to drain from his face as he stared at Jason, looking him over again. “Well shit.” A second wave of realization came as he turned back to Guy with an offended look on his face. “Hold up, you’re telling me you’ve known where this guy —the one who’s been missing for so long he could’ve had a kid by now— you knew where he was and you didn’t say anything? To me or Jess?” His gaze shifted to Kyle, his glare just as accusatory.

“Sorry,” Guy apologized, managing to sound at least a little genuine. “Didn’t want you two getting caught up in all the bat drama.”

Simon sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “It’s a bit too late for that, now isn’t it.”

“How are they? After…” Jason trailed off, unable to finish the question.

Simon turned to him, eyes sharp as they looked him over again. He was looking for something, what it was Jason didn’t know. He looked back to Kyle, then Guy, before landing back on Jason. “I think it’s better I show you.”

The sight that greeted them in the med bay was one he’d never thought possible even in his wildest dreams. The only reason Jason knew it was Bruce was because of the man’s build, the name on the clipboard at the end off the bed, and the bits of his face he could barely see through all the gauze, braces, wires, and tubes. There was barely any of the man’s skin showing through all the dressings, and the little bit that was showing was some horrible shade of black, blue, or purple and swollen. In a way it reminded him of those pictures he’d scrounged up a few years ago, the ones taken after Jason dug himself out of his grave, when no one knew who this comatose kid was with the fucked up hands and the unexplainable autopsy scar. He’d dug those pictures up for closure, to find out what happened between his death and waking up in the Lazarus Pit, and to be quite honest he regretted ever looking for them. Those pictures had haunted him for weeks, the fact that he’d been in that state and had zero recollection of it was a nightmare in and of itself. And here laid Bruce, taking Jason’s distaste for hospitals and all things medical and turning it up to eleven.

“What happened?” Kyle asked as he held Jason’s shoulder, the question directed towards Simon.

“We don’t have the specifics yet, we’ve been more focused on making sure everyone was stable and getting Gotham back under control. To make a long story short though, there was a coordinated attack by nearly every major supervillain and rogue across the globe, including those locked away. With so many attacks happening at once, no one from the League could get to Gotham to help before this happened.”

“The League’s been working in Gotham though,” Kyle said. “When I was here there was always at least someone in the city to help every night, more when necessary.”

“Batman kicked us out about a month ago. Only non-bats in the city were Arsenal and Starfire.”

Jason’s gaze snapped back to Simon, ignoring how Guy sucked in a breath. “Where are they now? Are they okay? They’re okay right?”

“They’re as okay as they can be all things considered. Arsenal’s fine, a few bruises and scratches here and there, nothing to worry about. Starfire, she got it pretty bad. She’s healing well, seems her alien biology is helping her heal faster, might not even scar, but she had some pretty deep cuts and slashes, quite a few burns. It wasn’t pretty.”

“What did that to her?” he asked, fear running down his spine as he realized he already knew. Kori didn’t really get hurt, not in the way Simon described at least.

“Nightwing. Based on what she and Arsenal said there were two other Red Lanterns. I’m guessing one of them jumped in.”

“By chance,” Guy interjected, “did they mention one of them bein’ a cat?”

“Yeah. From what she said that’s the one that left all the cuts. The other Red just pulled Nightwing away.”

“Fuck. The god damn, fucking cat. Of course they’d send that bastard, why not.”

“So the other two Reds,” Jason interrupted, eyes back on Bruce, “did they, could they have helped in doing this?”

“No. From what everyone’s said the majority of Batman’s injuries are from Nightwing. There are a few smaller things, fractured bone or two, pulled muscle, that could have happened before, but all the major life threatening stuff, that’s Nightwing.“

Jason felt that pain again, the sorrow he’d felt earlier at the realization that Dick would come to find out what he’d done, who he’d hurt. Only now it was so much worse, now it meant Dick would realize he’d hurt Bruce, that he almost killed him. This wasn’t some nameless, faceless criminal, this was his father. It would crush him, completely and utterly destroy him.

“We’re lucky she was there,” Simon continued. “If she wasn’t Batman would likely be dead. Honestly, I don’t even know if we should bother calling him that anymore. Unless he somehow finds a magician or something that can heal him, he’s never putting that suit on again. Permanent damage to his right leg and shoulder, some to his left upper arm. Multiple broken ribs, head trauma, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Best case scenario, he wakes up and spends a few months to a few years healing and doing physical therapy. He probably wouldn’t be able to walk without a cane, won’t be able to raise his one arm higher than shoulder level, but he’ll at least be able to walk and do most normal things.”

“And the worst case?”

“He doesn’t wake up.”

Jason stared down at the man before them, this broken husk of a human. He’d wanted to hurt Bruce, maybe even kill him, once upon a time. He’d wanted him to understand the pain Jason felt in his heart, the pain of being forgotten and replaced, of having his name dragged through the mud all so Bruce could forget his son and turn him into a disobedient and angry soldier, so he could take the tragedy of his life and spin it into a tale to tell disobedient Robins and sidekicks to keep them in line. But this, it… it hurt. He’d accepted that their relationship would never be what it once was, that Bruce would never be his dad again, that those days were long behind them. He’d accepted that, had finally let himself begin to move on, so why did seeing him like this still hurt so much?

He felt arms around him, Kyle and Guy to either side of him, each bringing him back to the here and now. Fingers swept under his eyes, Kyle leaning into rest their heads together. When had he started crying? God, why was he hurting so much?

“Ssh, ssh, it’s okay Jason, it’s okay,” Kyle whispered, hands caressing his cheeks. “Just focus on me, okay? Just focus on me, my feelings, whatever you need. Just focus on me.”

“Simon,” Guy said, his voice only a deep rumble to Jason’s ears. “You’re able to heal people, you can—”

“No,” he said. “It’s limited, and this, it’s too much for me. And I’m not gonna risk pulling him out of this comma, not while he’s this injured. It could kill him if I tried, send him right back into shock.”

Guy nodded, turning back to Jason and Kyle. Kyle’s hands were still pressed to his face, a faint violet glow emanating for Jason’s half lidded eyes as he focused in on the feeling. “Let’s get him out of here,” Guy said to Kyle. 

Kyle nodded, slowly removing his hands from Jason’s face. Once Jason seemed more aware Kyle put his hands back, thumbs rubbing circles into Jason’s cheeks and jaws as he indicated towards the door. “Where to?” Kyle asked.

“Other bats, they’ll be able to tell us more.” Guy turned back to Simon as the began to exit the med bay, hand firmly on Jason’s back. “Who was there when it happened?”

“Black Bat, Spoiler, and Robin from what we can tell. Red Robin was on comms, Arsenal and Starfire arrived right as things went to shit.”

“Alright, we can work with that.”

* * *

Kyle hated everything about this. They didn’t even know what happened, they had a few key points and a comatose Bruce Wayne, but it was more than enough to solidify his disliking of their current situation. He didn’t have that many nice things to say about Wayne, most of the Lanterns didn’t if they were being honest. His arrogance and hypocrisy were far too large for Kyle and the others to look past, the way he’d dig into everyone else’s privacy but be defensive over the smallest bit of information. In his years as a Green Lantern there had been more than a few times that Kyle had wanted to sock the guy, hell the Lanterns had been joking about doing just that a few days ago. But what he saw in the med bay, by god that was brutal. The amount of force it must have taken, the power used to break him in such a way, the hatred that must have been behind the attack. Did they even have a chance of getting Dick back? If that’s what he did to someone he cared about what chance did they have?

“What are you thinking about?” Jason asked, voice rough and tired.

He bit his lip, working the skin between his teeth. “There are times when I remember what I could do before, when I was a White Lantern or when I was Ion,” he admitted. Looking down at their hands with their intertwining fingers he felt that same guilt rush over him as he’d felt so many times before. “I wish I had that right now. So I could, I don’t know, fix this.”

The group stopped in front of a doorway, the bats on the other side. Jason touched his cheek gently before he titled Kyle’s head to kiss him between the eyes. “We’ll get through,” he said, and to Kyle’s ears it felt like he was still trying to convince himself of that just as much as he was trying to convince Kyle. “We’ll make it through this, and if you get that power back along the way, well I won’t complain, but if you don’t that’s okay too.”

Kyle pulled him into a hug, his face pressed to Jason’s neck as he held him tight. “I know. I just want you to be happy, I want all this horrible shit to go away and leave you alone. If I was a White Lantern I could—”

Jason pressed a finger to his lips. “I know, but let’s not talk about what we could do, yeah? No sense in worrying about that stuff now.”

“Yeah, okay,” he nodded. “Focus on what we can do now.”

Simon cleared his throat behind them, looking more than a little uncomfortable. “The bats should all be in here,” he explained. “Some might be roaming, but for the most part they’ve all been here for the last two days.”

“Is Roy and Kori with them?” Jason asked as Simon opened the door.

“Roy and…? Oh! You mean Arsenal and Starfire, yeah, yeah they’re here too. Roy brought his daughter too. Oh, and uh, Robin’s mom, she’s here too.”

Jason’s eyes widened at the last statement, eyebrows raised in surprise. Before he could say anything though a girl’s voice broke the air, an excited squeal of “Uncle Jay!” causing his attention to snap away from Simon. 

Kyle watched as Jason’s surprise was overtaken with excitement at the sight of the girl running towards him. He sprinted away, sliding the last few feet to her, arms wide as she jumped at him. He caught her easily, holding her tight as she wrapped herself around him. She looked familiar, like she was someone Kyle should know, but he just couldn’t figure out where he’d seen her before.

“Lian! How’s my favorite princess been since I’ve been gone?” Jason asked as he squeezed her cheeks.

“Okay,” she answered, her voice wobbly before she reattached herself to his chest, nuzzling into his neck. It was then that Kyle noticed they weren’t alone, that there was another watching the events unfold before them. Roy was moving before Kyle had a moment to greet him, heading towards the pair with relief painted on his features. That’s right, Roy had a daughter didn’t he? Oh, what was her name again? Lee? Lily? Lian, that’s what it was.

“Goodness,” Jason exclaimed with a hand on his hip, not paying attention to the man approaching them. “I’ve been gone for, what, eight months now? And all I get is an ‘okay’?” She giggled as he stood, heave hoeing as he swung her up onto a hip. “Ugh, you’re getting so big too, soon I might not be able to pick you up anymore. What am I going to do?”

“No no, never!” she screeched. “You’ll always be able to pick me up, you’re big and strong like daddy.”

“But what about when I’m not big and strong? What if I get sick?”

“Daddy says you’ve got super powers now, so that’s not gonna happen.” 

Roy chuckled as he got close, brushing the hair out of her face. “Right princess. Uncle Jay’s got a fancy ring like your great Uncle Hal. No excuses,” he joked as he wagged a finger in Jason’s face. He pulled him into a hug, ignoring Lian’s surprised squeal at being squished between the two of them. “I missed you man.”

“Missed you too Roy.”

Guy nudged Kyle as they watched the scene unfold, his usual spark lighting up his eyes. “You gettin’ ideas over there Rayner?” Kyle huffed as he pointedly ignored Guy. Yes he was getting ideas, just like he got ideas back before he and Jason even became a thing. Jason was god damn gorgeous and Kyle swore he glowed as bright as a purple sun when children were around. It reminded him of that time Wonder Woman held a baby, how her face lit up like a Christmas tree when the mother made her request. “I’m sure the Sapphires could figure something out for you two,” Guy offered, grin still in place. “Considering the whole power of love and their old need to procreate thing I’d imagine they could whip you two up a kid lickety split.”

Kyle punched him in the arm, reveling in the way his face contorted in pain. “We’ve been together for barely a month Guy, it’s a bit early to be talking that way,” he grumbled. 

“I don’t know, Hal and I practically adopted him the minute we saw him, and we weren’t even together yet. Just boom, co-parents without the benefits of co-parenting.”

“You and Jordan are…?” Simon trailed off, terror in his eyes. “How did that even…?”

Guy shrugged. “Cleavage.”

Simon stared at him, eyes somehow blank and disturbed all at the same time. “Forget I asked.” He turned to Kyle. “Anyway, you said you two were together for a month? So you didn’t cause him to become a Sapphire then?”

“No, not at all,” Kyle answered with confusion. The two off them forced themselves to ignore Guy’s cackling.

“Okay. Some of the bats were asking if you did. Had me worried I’d need to put some protection on you or something.”

“What? Why would they think that?”

“Guess they figured out of all us Greens you were the most compatible with him? I don’t know man, I don’t interact with those weirdos.”

Guy fist pumped beside them, triumphant as he said, “Hal totally owes me dinner when we get back.”

Simon and Kyle exchanged a glance. “He’s not actually talking about dinner is he?” 

Kyle grimaced, unwanted images running through his head of what Guy was probably talking about. “Magic eight ball says unlikely.”

“So, you are Kyle Rayner.” The voice cut through the adult imagery, replacing it with the woman before him. Middle Eastern features, a little taller than Carol, probably about the same age, absolutely stunning. But there was something about her, something that had warning bells going off in his head.

“That would be me.” 

She looked him up and down, eyes darting across his form like she was trying to decide on the most efficient way to cut him to bits. Considering the knife he could see in her boot, and the actual freaking sword at her waist, he was convinced that was exactly what she was doing. “My name is Talia.” She offered him her hand and he took it without second thought. The rings adorning her fingers were cold on his skin, all clearly made of expensive materials and jewels. Talia, that was the name of the woman helping Roy and Carol with Jason’s legal stuff, right? What was her connection to Jason anyway?

“You’re Talia?” Guy asked before offering his own hand in greeting. “Carol’s been telling us all about you, nice to finally make your acquaintance.”

“Likewise. Carol has kept me appraised of Jason’s situation over the last few months. It’s nice to know my son finally has paternal figures in his life who care about him.” She checked her watch, eyes sharp as she looked for the time. Horror crept up Kyle’s spine as he realized what she just called Jason. Her son, she’d called him _her son_. “I must go. Damian needs his medication. You know how boys are about basic necessities such as that I’m sure. It was nice meeting you both. And Mr. Rayner?” Kyle looked into her eyes, his life flashing before his own. “I’ll be watching.”

She walked away, stopping just long enough to speak with Jason before disappearing into another door. It was only once she was out of the room that he let himself breathe again. 

Guy laughed as he slapped his back, uncaring for Kyle’s pain. “Jay didn’t tell you, did he?” 

“He told me he had a sorta-mom that he called T who has high standards.” At Guy’s continued snickering he demanded, “’Who the hell is she man?”

“Talia Head, formerly Talia al Ghul,” Guy explained, his grin turning sly. “Traitor to her father Ra’s al Ghul and his League of Assassins. Mother to Damian Wayne aka Robin, and the one who found Jason after his little resurrection. Hella dangerous.”

Kyle looked up to find Jason looking back at him in concern. He’d been joking about T being a villain, honestly he was! Sure she’s gone rogue but still! What the hell? Guy laughed again. “You got this Kyle, I mean what’s the worst that having an assassin for a mother-in-law could do?”

Simon just sighed.

* * *

The footage from everyone’s masks that night was horrifying. The backup system for the footage had worked as well as it always had, saving what everyone saw in real time to the servers in the batcave for later viewing. Because of that they had five separate recordings documenting what happened in Amusement Mile: Stephanie, Cass, Damian, Bruce, and Dick’s, as well as the scattered shots from the city’s cameras. Dick’s cut out in a blast of red light when the ring took over, knocking out his mask’s connection to the servers in the process. That left his footage incomplete, so they only had the remaining four to tell them what happened afterwards.

Jason couldn’t say he was upset at the Joker’s fate, really being burnt alive was an absolutely wonderful option that he should have given a second chance after his run in with the clown in Los Angeles. The dying laughter may as well be music to his ears, especially after he spilled Bruce’s little secret to Dick. But he could feel the scar itching, burning where it sat below his uniform’s collar, keeping him from actually enjoying the scene.

The armrest of the chair next to him creaked again, Kyle’s knuckles no doubt white as the words washed over him. He’d asked about the scar once or twice in their month together, his eyes glowing with that need to protect Jason, to find out who hurt him, if it still brought him pain. Jason never answered him, instead deflecting or denying the request, or just dragging the other man away from his neck and back to his face. It was usually enough to stop further inquiries, Kyle thankfully getting the picture, but it always worried Jason. He wanted to tell him, but at the same time it felt wrong, felt like he’d give Kyle a reason to go. It made no sense, he knew that, he wasn’t damaged goods or some other bullshit like that. Honestly he could only remember talking about the incident once and even then he’d been so drunk he didn’t know if he’d actually said anything to Kori and Roy or if he’d just imagined the conversation and their cuddling in his drunken stupor. 

He hated that scar, most days he found he hated it more than the one stretching across his torso. The giant Y had a purpose, it wasn’t done with ill intent. It was a medical procedure, a sign of what he’d gone through and overcome. The cut on his neck though, that was personal, done by the man he’d loved as a father, the man who was supposed to protect him. It was a sign of Jason’s worth in a way, a mark signifying that he was worth less to Bruce than his enemy at the time. He knew he was overthinking it, that he’d always overthought it, but the thing was right there. It was nearly impossible to hide, and with his aversion to things wrapped around his neck, especially that high, his options had been even more limited. In one fell swoop Bruce had not only shown how little he cared about Jason as a son, but also as a person. 

It really was time to let Bruce go, wasn’t it?

His hand was grabbed in a crushing grip, Kyle’s eyes trained ahead to the screen in the meeting room. A harsh grinding sound could be heard emanating from his face, his molars grinding together as he tried to keep control. Guy’s hand on Kyle’s other shoulder was very obviously pushing him backwards into his chair even as naked fury burned across his face. The remaining occupants of the room were struggling to hold back their own reactions, even as their eyes kept darting back to the trio, back to Jason. They hadn’t know, none of them had known, and he couldn’t blame them for any of this. The only people he could blame were either comatose or ash. 

Of all the people to kill the Joker though, Dick definitely hadn’t been at the top of his list of contenders. They just hadn’t seemed close, not compared to when Dick was interacting with the other bats. To have him be the one to lose it, to snap over what Bruce and the Joker had done to Jason, it was enlightening to say the least.

But at the end of the day Dick had been forced to do that. It hadn’t been Dick Grayson who killed the Joker, it had been his anger, it had been the ring controlling him like a puppet. As much as Jason was glad the fucker was dead, that kind of manipulation, that violation of Dick’s mind and body, it felt worse in a way, because not only would Dick be self destructing over killing someone, he’d be self destructing over being controlled in that way too, in “letting himself” be controlled even if that wasn’t true. 

Simon said there wouldn’t be a Batman anymore, not until someone comes along and takes up the mantle again whether it be Dick, Tim, Duke, whoever. Jason wondered if they’d even have the luxury of having a Nightwing again.

The footage continued, moving on from Dick’s recording to Bruce’s. Anger coursed through him as he watched the scene play out, the lead up to Dick, Stephanie, and Cass arriving. He and Damian were outnumbered, there were too many thugs with too many guns and knives and bats for them to do much more than try and defend themselves. If the three hadn’t arrived, if Dick hadn’t been overcome by the red ring, what would have happened? The thugs didn’t stop until the red light came, until Dick spewed flaming bile onto the Joker. It was only as the monster fell that they turned and ran, thankfully forgetting about the explosives they’d left behind. Damian had been hurt, Jason had gotten enough information from Talia and Roy to know that much, and he could see it in the footage. What would have happened to the kid if Dick hadn’t gone Red? Had the teenager not suffered enough? 

Hearing Damian’s wails when Bruce fell was the worst part of it. Jason understood the medical trauma, he’d seen results of what happened, he knew it was unlikely Bruce was responsive at all by that point, but to watch from his point of view as Damian dashed over to him, as this scrawny thirteen years old had to push through his own injuries to help him, it made his blood boil. Damian wasn’t his favorite person, and he certainly wasn’t Damian’s, but by god he didn’t deserve that. To watch Dick, his brother, really his second father if they were being honest, be taken by rage, to watch him turn into a monster, to attack and kill and fly off to god knows where, was already bad enough. But then to watch as Bruce, the man whose approval meant the world to him, be absolutely decimated by Dick, it was any child’s worst nightmare. 

He wanted to help him, he wanted to offer his support for the little wannabe badass, but he didn’t want to hurt the kid anymore than he already was. Dick was his rock, his pillar of love and support. Where others wrote him off Dick stuck by him, made him see that change was good, that he could be better. Jason didn’t know what Damian needed, not like Dick would, and it’d feel like he was trying to take his place if he tried. 

Cass and Steph always seemed to surprise him and this was no different. He knew Steph had been working on some kind of nursing or medical degree, but to see her in action was something else entirely. And Cass, ever the silent protector for her family. He knew they didn’t need it, definitely not from him, but he felt a swell of pride forming for the two women. Even in the midst of compete chaos they’d kept their heads and managed to keep Bruce alive long enough to get him medical attention. They did good, even if it probably didn’t feel like it.

Watching the footage from the two, especially before they’d reached the Mile, made it clear Dick hadn’t been in a good head space, that there’d been something deeply wrong. What Kyle said about Dick taking on responsibility for the family, how it was eating away at him, it was on full display with their footage. 

Earlier Lian had asked him if he’d bring her Uncle Dick home, her eyes shining with the hope that seemingly only a child could possess. “You’ll save Uncle Dick right?”

“Of course sweetheart,” he’d answered without a second thought. Who was he to deny her request?

He wondered now, watching these clips, if that was the right thing to say. Should he really be making that kind of a promise in this situation? There was no guarantee they’d get Dick out, that he’d survive being dumped in the blood lake. There was no guarantee that he’d want to come back, or that he’d even want to continue on after that had happened. Jason had dealt with enough of those thoughts in the past, had fought through the whispers and the ideations, it wasn’t easy. Dick was already at an all time low, the idea that those same thoughts would take root with him wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.

“You can’t be responsible for everyone Jay,” he remembered Hal telling him before he left for Earth. “You can try to help them, you can do everything in your power to, but sometimes there is no right thing to say or do. It’s frustrating, believe me I know, all of us know, but you can’t let it control you. Do what you can with what you have, but if it gets to be too much you have a right to self preservation. You aren’t alone in this. Don’t forget that.”

The footage ended and the room fell into silence, the few League and Titans members present looking back at him with apprehension. No one knew what to do, let alone what to say. The footage opened so many doors, so many that no one wanted opened. 

“That’s all the footage Tim and Barbara could give us,” Clark explained at the head of the table. “We’re all officially on the same page now.”

“Guy, you were a Red Lantern at one point, do you recognize either of the two individuals who left with Dick?” Diana asked without judgement.

“Yeah, they’re both from Earth which is probably why they were sent on pickup duty. Cat’s name is Dex-starr, he’s basically Atrocitus’s pet at this point, fiercely loyal, a real son of a bitch. Other guy’s Rankorr, British, he’s one of the few good ones,” Guy explained.

“Ha! A good Red, seriously Gardner you smoking something?” Oliver asked.

“Any Lantern corps can have good and bad apples Queen, just like the League,” he said with a pointed look. “Rankorr’s one of my guys, sends me information when he can, tries not to go the whole murdering psycho route that Atrocitus and most of his followers go.”

“Has he sent you anything in regards to Dick?” Diana asked.

“Yeah. As of this morning Dick was on Ysmault, chances are they haven’t taken him off planet or anything. They don’t plan on putting him in the blood lake, and Atrocitus has taken a shine to Dick so there’s always eyes on him, no way for Rankorr to sneak him away.”

“Um, what the hell do you mean by ‘the blood lake’?” Oliver demanded, receiving more than his fair share of glares for it.

“I’d think the name would be able to clue you in to that,” Donna remarked, looking thoroughly unimpressed at his returning scowl. 

“The blood lake is, yes, a lake of blood,” Guy explained as he rolled his eyes. “When someone becomes a Red they become, for lack of a better word, feral. No sense of self, no thought, no voice of reason, just rage. Putting them in the blood lake can give them control back. Unfortunately not everyone makes it out, some go in and die in the lake. It’s a pretty painful process on top of that, makes you go through whatever trauma made you a Red in the first place. But it’s the quickest way to get Dick back to himself without a Blue nearby.”

The room fell into silence, as everyone digested the information, looks of disgust on most of the faces. Kara seemed to be reliving some old memories if Jason was reading her right, her brow pinched as she glared down at the table. 

“Mom always said I should be a priest,” Jason muttered to himself. “Don’t think she had baptisms by blood in mind though.”

Guy bellowed out a laugh, hunching over as he clutched his gut. Kyle looked at the older man in concern, awkwardly patting his shaking back. 

“Say we get him into the lake,” Donna said, “we’ve fought through the Red Lanterns, got Dick into the lake, he survives. What then? Is he stuck as he is or can he be changed back?”

“No, there’s a couple options. I’ve already mentioned the Blues, they’re always down to help if they can. Mogo, another GL, was able to free me of the ring once. A Sapphire could probably heal him via their crystals, I know Fatality offered that to Bleez at some point apparently, but the crystals have a tendency to alter people’s minds.”

All eyes turned to Jason as Donna asked, “So Jason could--?”

“No, healings one of those skills that only certain Lanterns get. So far Jason hasn’t shown that particular one, and this really isn’t the time to test it out if he did.” Guy looked over to Simon, his eyes calculating. “Honestly, Simon might be able to do it, he’s done some weird medical mumbo jumbo before. I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“I’d rather not find out by risking Dick’s life, thanks,” Simon countered.

“But we do have options,” Clark clarified.

“Yeah, but first we need to focus on getting Dick back to himself and away from the Reds,” Jason said. He turned back to Guy, expression pulled tight. “The red ring, it won’t kill him so long as he doesn’t take it off right? It sucks but we need to focus on getting him to safety before worrying about the physical changes that have happened.”

The others looked to him, eyes squinted in thought but ultimately understanding.

“Hey Guy,” Simon called. “The red rings, they act like ours right? So when it’s taken off it goes to find another host. What if Dick decides to keep it to stop that from happening?”

“Then we adapt,” Guy answered. “Once we’re off Ysmault and away from Atrocitus and his lackeys we can decide what to do, let him have his options. If he chooses to keep the ring then that’s his choice. I’ll stick around to make sure he knows how to use the thing and to make sure he’s in a good headspace when he does so. If he choose not to we’ll get him the help to get it off.”

The idea was horrifying, the thought of Dick holding onto the red ring for nothing other than to keep some random person that he didn’t even know from getting it was one he hoped didn’t happen. But at the same time this was Dick they were talking about. Good ole’ self sacrificing Dick. He’d absolutely do it if he thought it was the right thing to do.

Really though, what harm would another power ring on Earth do? Especially if he’s not attached to a corp.

* * *

The quarters hadn’t been lit when Jason entered. There been a small amount of light emanating from the window that conveniently faced the sun, and there had been the standard glow emanating from the woman resting there, leaving the room in a soft sort of darkness. That definitely wasn't the case now.

"Kori please, can you just, you aren't going Kori, please just sit back down," Jason pleaded.

His pleas went unheard as Kori bustled around the room, her movements stiff as she searched for her boots. Jason could still see the scratches on her back, the angry red marks running onto her shoulders and chest. They were better than they'd been he was sure, definitely better than what a human would look like after two days, but they were clearly still hurting if her jerky movements were anything to go by.

"Kori," he tried again, "you aren't going. Lay back down, please."

"No," she snapped, hands fisting into the material in her hands. "No, I must go. I need to help Dick, I need to help you."

"Kori..."

"Donna and Kara are going, I must as well." He grabbed her hand, halting her erratic movements. She squeezed her eyes shut, lip curled as his thumb rubbed circles into her wrist. "You don't understand Jason. I was there, I should have...I should have been able to stop him, to keep him with us. I must go, I have to."

He pulled her close, leading her back to the bed to let her sit. She went without complaint, boots and the rest of her costume left on the floor. There wasn't much more he could do than draw her into a hug, running his hands through her hair. It was rare that Kori needed this, that she was the one in need of comfort rather than the other way around. Normally she'd be the one to pull him close, to let him rest his head on her lap so she could massage his head and talk him through his problems. To have the roles reversed was foreign, it made no sense to him. He pushed on anyway.

"This isn't your fault. None of it is. I know you probably don't believe me, but it's the truth." He kissed her head even as she hunched lower. "I'm not letting you go Kori. It's not that I don't think you can help, I know you could, but you’re hurt. You're important to me, if anything happened to you because I let you come with us, I don't know if I could live with myself."

"But Dick—"

"Isn't your responsibility. I know you care about him Kori, I know you wouldn't be hurting so much if you didn't, but forcing yourself to go, to fight and probably get hurt again? Dick wouldn't want that, and I sure as hell don't." He looked out the window, taking in the view of Earth and the stars surrounding it. It was so peaceful here. Maybe that's what made this harder. He couldn't get angry, couldn't let himself be afraid of what was to come, not here. "I've lost so many people," he whispered into her hair. "Some of them I'll never see again, others I see and know I'll never be as important to them as they once were to me. There's no guarantee we'll get Dick back Kori, none. He could die in the blood lake, at the hands of the Red Lanterns, by his own. We might lose him Kori, I can't risk losing you too." 

Tears fought to escape as she looked at him, pain in her eyes. He hated this, hated seeing anyone hurting, hated seeing the people he cared about hurting. The universe hated him, he'd accepted that long ago. Why did it have to hurt the ones he loved too?

“And Kara and Donna?” she asked, voice quiet.

“Kara has a history as a Red Lantern, she knows how they work, has her own grievances against the head honcho. Being a Kryptonian also gives her an edge that most everyone else won’t have. Donna’s got her experience as a Darkstar to help her, and we’re planning on having Kyle or someone stick by her just in case either way.”

She sighed, her eyes slipping shut as she forced herself to relax into him. "You will come back?" she asked.

"Of course. Once we're done on Ysmault our first stop is to come back here. If we have Dick with us then we'll head off to Mogo or wherever the Blue Lanterns are located." 

Leaning down, her head found rest on his shoulder. "And after that?"

"I don't know. It all depends on what happens with Dick," he admitted. "I'm not going to force him to come back if he isn't ready to. It wouldn't end well. It certainly wouldn't have ended well if someone tried that with me."

"What happened to you?" she asked with a small smile. "The last time I saw you you were so unhappy, so anxious." She ran her thumb over his ring. "This has helped you I presume?"

"More like it's given me opportunities to help myself, to get to know the people that could help me."

"I'm glad." She pulled him into a hug, hands much firmer than they'd been a moment ago. Leaning back, her smile was much wider as well. "When you return we can exchange stories of our journeys in space. We could go finally go flying together as well. I won’t even need to carry you this time."

"Only if you can keep up," he said, raising an eyebrow in challenge. 

She scoffed at the remark. "How dare you." The pillow came too fast for him to react, hitting the side of his face in soft force. 

"Oh, I dare." Grabbing his own pillow he retaliated, swinging as a grin spread across his face. 

Kori's laughter filled the space, his own soon following as the space was covered in fluff and scraps of cotton lining. They weren't okay, not by a long shot, but they could pretend, even just for a few more hours, that they were.

* * *

The flight to Ysmault was as tense as one could expect, even with how many people were there. His brief stop to see Kori and a few others had only done so much to calm his nerves. Steph’s eyes lighting up when she saw him had been a welcome surprise, as had the sudden influx of huggers when the other bats had seen him. It was nice, unexpected, but nice all the same. The way their faces fell when he left though, that wasn’t, not at all. It left a sour taste in his mouth, a knot in his throat. He needed to be careful here, he couldn’t take too many chances. They might not voice it but he could read them all far too easily. Most had accepted that Dick might not be coming back, it hurt but they accepted it just as they accepted Bruce’s condition. However, they’d only gotten Jason back mere minutes prior, they needed him to return. It was so odd, he’d left as this black sheep, as the outcast, why were they looking at him with so much damn hope? It made no sense.

Kind of like the size of this group. Hal and John had finally joined them, bringing along a pretty sizeable amount of Lanterns with them. The question now was, did they get the Guardians to sign off on that, or did they just leave? At the end of the day it didn’t matter, and Jason couldn’t really bring himself to care all that much. The League wasn’t able to send that many people due to their still ongoing cleanup back on Earth, but the few they could spare Jason was grateful for. He sent a silent “Thank you” to whoever might be listening for sending Donna. Early on in their flight she’d pulled Kyle away, claiming that they needed to catch up all while sending Jason a quick look of understanding. He hated to admit it, but in a way he felt relieved.

Kyle hadn’t said much after the meeting, really he hadn’t said much all day if it wasn’t directed towards Jason or Guy. It was clear he was on edge, ready to jump at anything or anyone. It only got worse after they watched the footage. While the audio had gotten a bit garbled near the end of Dick’s recording, Kyle had clearly been able to pick up what was being said, what it meant. 

The longer they went without talking about it the more worried Jason became. But he was also worried about bringing the topic up at all, especially now that it’d had time to simmer. Kyle already had a shitty opinion of Bruce, all the Lanterns seemed to really, but he could see this sending Kyle over the edge. He was protective, that much had been obvious even back when they’d traveled the multiverse three years ago. Only back then it was Donna who was the focus. He wanted to protect the people he loved, even if that person didn’t need it. It was nice for Jason, having that constant support, knowing he didn’t have to handle everything himself, but it worried him, especially with this. 

He didn’t want Kyle to know about that night between Jason, Bruce, and the Joker for so many reasons, a lot of them dealing with his own issues after the fact. He needed to work through those issues on his own, he couldn’t have Kyle hanging on to him and trying to fix what happened for him. 

But now he knew what happened, now they’d have to talk about it, wouldn’t they? Pain stabbed into his stomach as he thought of it, the fight he could see breaking out about Bruce, about Jason keeping something so important a secret, about him still associating with the bats after that, about a lack of self respect and how Kyle just couldn’t…then he’d… he’ll leave and…

“Hey, hey, calm down Jay.”

Guy’s hand on his shoulder forced him back to the present. He shook off the momentary panic, using an old breathing technique to even out his breath. Now wasn’t the time to worry about problems with his relationship, let alone ones that weren’t even happening. Stop overthinking things, focus on the present. Dick needed him to focus, everyone flying with him to Ysmault needed him to focus.

“Sorry.”

Guy watched him, eyes sharp, like they knew far more than they should. “You’re worried about Kyle, how he took the little revelation back on the Watchtower.” What should have been a question was instead a statement. Somehow Guy could just read him, just knew what shit was crawling around inside his head. How the hell he and Hal managed to do that he’d never know. Experience maybe? They were just good at reading people? There were too many possibilities. 

“I don’t want it to be an issue, this _thing_ ,” he said, hand running over his throat. “He seemed pretty angry in the meeting, I just don’t want to fight about it and, well, everything with it.”

“Hmm.” Lips pursed, Guy spun around and around, figuring out what to say. “There’s a few things you could do, but really, the best thing is to just talk to him once this is over.” He looked over his shoulder, back to wherever Kyle was with Donna, then seemed to look around a bit more. Jason followed his gaze, finding Hal, John, and a few others talking. Guy’s face had a fondness that Jason rarely saw on anyone. It gave him a sense of ease. “Honestly, long before we got together, like for a few years now, Hal would get weird over certain things like that, me associating with Rankorr and Bleez, Arkillo, whoever. Some random missions I took he’d get weirdly critical of. Random other shit too. It was annoying at first, turned into infuriating soon after that, then it just hurt. It seemed like he just hated me, wanted me gone or at the very least like he didn’t trust me, even after all the years we’d been working together.”

“How did you guys fix it then? If it was going on for so long and everything…” Really, how the hell could you fix that? That kind of issue didn’t just appear, it took a while to grow, to fester, then for it to escalate to such a degree. How the hell do you even get the other person to listen at that point?

“John forced us to talk it out, made up some lie about the Guardians sending the three of us to this far off deserted planet all so when we got there he could make us sit down and clear the air or whatever.” He shook his head, laughing as he did so. “Asshole always joked that it was like couple’s counseling or some shit, having to deal with the two of us bickering about the other while he had to mediate and try and talk some sense into us. Didnt take him long to figure out why it seemed that way on my end.”

He couldn’t hold back a chuckle at the mental image, Guy and Hal sitting on some couch, both with their arms crossed and very pointedly looking away from each other, all while John sat opposite them looking exasperated and wondering how either of them were adults. “And now?”

Guy quickly looked away, face going red. “We have, uh, other ways of dealing with those sort of misunderstandings. But!” he added, “that doesn’t mean we don’t still talk it out.”

“You just have a better way of wearing him down now,” Jason replied with a knowing smirk.

“It is a mutually beneficial system that we’ve both taken advantage of. You’ll understand.”

Everyone could probably hear him laughing by now, especially when Guy joined in with his own and pulled him to his side. He could feel the curious eyes of the random League members watching, no doubt wondering when the hell they’d gotten this close. 

“Kyle’s, well, he’s had a lot of power,” Guy said, pulling the conversation back to its original topic. “He could do anything, and he definitely tried to. So when bad things happen he gets that sense of ‘I could’ve done something if I just held onto that power, if I was just strong enough or good enough'. He already had a sort of savior complex back when he became a Lantern, then it got worse when he became Ion and all that jazz.” He smiled over at Jason. “Just talk to him later okay? No sense in getting worked up over things that happened years ago, let alone things that might not even happen. Let him know you appreciate him and his concern, but make it clear where you stand on everything.”

“So praise kink then boundary talk,” he joked.

Guy’s laughter once again bellowed in the emptiness of space, pulling even more eyes to them, not that Jason could bring himself to care. 

“There’s my favorite Sapphire!” Hal’s voice boomed from behind them. Jason soon found the man attached to him side, arm’s wrapped around him in a tight hug.

“Don’t let Carol hear you say that, you might start a war or something,” Jason joked.

“Nah, Carol knows she got demoted months ago. If anything she prefers not being my favorite, less stress.”

“And what of your favorite Green Lantern?” Guy asked, arms open wide for him.

“Jessica isn’t here Guy, she stayed back on Earth with Simon, remember?” Hal answered with as much innocence as he could. “You’re the one that told me.”

Guy scowled, an eyebrow raising in challenge as his arms crossed. “Hey Jay, I hear beards are coming back in style yeah?” he said, eyes never leaving Hal’s face. “My neck’s been getting a bit cold too, might need to grow out my hair again.”

“No no _no_ , no more beards, never again!” Hal screeched as he flew over Jason to tumble with Guy. “You know I hated that thing!”

“Hey Jason, you hear something?” Jason shook his head, snickering at the two as they spun and twisted around each other. “Hmm, must be the space wind.”

“There is no such thing as space wind!”

The two continued to wrestle, somehow managing to keep their trajectory even as they grabbed and twisted in their dance. Most of the other Lanterns shook their heads and paid no mind, clearly used to the display, while the League stared openly, most whispering to each other. 

The two finally came to a halt with Guy holding Hal in a headlock, the older Lantern pouting as he tapped out.

“I just want you to know,” Guy chuckled, “you totally just outed us to the League.”

“Me? You’re the one talking about our kinks up here!” 

Jason met Guy’s eyes, lips pulled tight at what was essentially a confession. 

“What?” Hal demanded, looking between them. “You said praise kink him, I heard you!”

“Hal, you are scarring our son, how dare you.” He pulled Jason into his arms with all the flare of a high school drama teacher. “I’m trying to teach him how to communicate his concerns in a healthy manner and that’s what you take from it? Sex and kinks? Don’t worry Jay, the beard’s definitely on its way now.”

Jason really didn’t want to know why Hal looked so upset at that prospect. Chances were it was more than just the look of Guy with a beard that upset him, it was probably something more… _eww_.

He chose to ignore them as Hal dragged Guy closer, whispering something to him that Jason couldn’t hear. He looked ahead, trying to spot Ysmault amongst all the stars and planets. Focus, he had to focus, they were almost there. Just focus.

* * *

Donna’s smirk was starting to get on his nerves. He wasn’t going to tell her that, he may as well walk into a firing squad if he did. Beauty and grace, she’s still down to slap you in the face.

“I take it this is a new development, hmm? You were still single the last time I saw you,” she said.

“Yeah. Together for a little over a month now I guess,” Kyle answered as he very obviously avoided eye contact.

“Nice. So the ‘angst ridden bad boy routine’ managed to work on you then?”

If he could roll his eyes any farther back he might be able to finally prove to her that he had a brain after all. Instead he had to settle for groaning.

She shoved his shoulder, laughing at his pout. “Oh my god Kyle, lighten up. I’m kidding. I did say you two would be cute together though, didn’t I?”

“Did not.”

“Did too.”

“Not.”

She looked ahead to where Jason was, a smirk on her face. Following her gaze, he saw Hal and Guy wrestling next to the Sapphire. Could those two not wait until after they were done here? Honestly? They could get a room the minute they were back on the Watchtower. Flying towards Ysmault was not the time for… _that_.

“It’s the thighs isn’t it?” Donna whispered right into his ear, making him jump.

“Seriously?”

“I’m just saying,” she sing songed. “You were eyeing them long before he became a Sapphire. Clearly being a Lantern of some kind was his destiny because that suit does not hide anything. You’re lucky he didn’t stick around, he’d have been taken in a heartbeat/”

“…maybe a little,” he grumbled.

She laughed at the confession, pulling him close. Man he’d missed her. For all the extra time he’d had on Earth two months ago he’d spent most of it holed up with Carol or his mom, worried that he’d spill about Jason being a Sapphire if he did otherwise. With Carol she already knew, and his mom had no connections to any heroes other than Donna and the Lanterns, she didn’t even know Jason, the chances of her talking if he did were non-existent.

Shit, when should he tell her about their relationship? She’d want to meet him immediately. Then again, Jason seemed down for it, a lot more down than Kyle was. Give it more time, he told himself, they didn’t need to rush this, not yet. He could let her know during his next shore leave, whenever that was.

“You two are happy together?” Donna asked.

“Hmm? Oh yeah, yeah I’d say so. We’re kind of going slow is all,” he explained, eyes once again darting away as he felt heat move up his face.

“You? Slow? That’s a first.” At his pinched look she raised her hands in defense. “I’m just saying, this isn’t your usual MO, I would know.”

She was right, of course she was. Going at this rate wasn’t really something he’d done since high school, even then it still might have been faster than this. But with everyone else they’d had experience, they knew what they wanted, what felt good for them, things like intimacy and sex weren’t that big a deal. With Jason that wasn’t the case. His needs were different than everyone else’s that Kyle had been with, his situation so unlike anything he’d experienced before. Add in Jason’s fluctuating and expanding powers and it wasn’t hard to see why they weren’t rushing to the bedroom. Hell, in a lot of ways they couldn’t, not with how overwhelmed Jason could get over something as simple as kissing. Jason’s ability to read him through skin contact was great, especially now that he’d started to figure out how to reverse it and share his own feelings and memories, but it was still a skill that needed concentration, that could go haywire if he wasn’t careful. On one hand, Kyle could see it creating some interesting situations for them, on the other he could see how stressful having such an ability could be.

“He’s different,” he said. “It’s cheesy, but it’s true.”

“And you really care about him?”

“Of course I do.”

“Does he know that?”

“Yeah, yeah, he can...He knows.”

“Good, I’m glad.”

They flew on, drawing closer to Ysmault with every second. In a way it could be considered intimidating, Ysmault wasn’t exactly the nicest of places and they were literally flying into enemy territory. But at the same time he couldn’t help the excitement growing in him at the coming battle.

“Ready to meet the family? Again?” Donna asked as the planet came into view.

“You just had to ruin the mood didn’t you?”

* * *

This isn’t good, not good at all.

“The foolish Green Lanterns and their Earth counterparts draw near my Red Lanterns.”

Bleez hadn’t returned from whatever sector Atrocitus had sent her to. But he needed her here, how the hell was he supposed to ensure Richard got into the right hands without being spotted as a traitor?

“The imbeciles plan to take one of our own, to steal away our newest brother.”

She was supposed to be back before this happened. A day, she said her mission should only take a day at most, where the hell was she? He could only do so much on his own, at the very least having her around as well meant their chances were better.

“The lake shall be filled with their blood!”

Cheers broke out around him, blood thirsty cries echoing amongst the Red Lanterns. Rankorr was quick to follow, he had an image to keep up after all. There was no sense in letting Atrocitus know what he was planning just yet, that’d be suicide. No, he needed to stay his hand, needed to play along. Once Guy and his team got here Rankorr could get to Richard, make him “fall” into the lake while Atrocitus and his merry band of crazies were distracted. Atrocitus would be none the wiser, thinking he either fell or one of the Greens pushed him, leaving Rankorr safe where he was.

Red eyes watched him from across the vast expanse of individuals, the long hair twitching and swaying being the only sign that he was more than a statue. Why Richard was a Red Lantern Rankorr couldn’t tell, with his looks and the way he could just freeze he’d fit in much more with Sinestro and his lot of terror. Well, if anything he at least had the option to be a B list monster in some shitty haunted house film. He basically had the part down by now. 

Calls rang out around them, announcing the arrival of the Greens, forcing Rankorr to tear his eyes away from the other human man. And there they were in a blaze of green light, Guy streaking forward, fist ready to meet Atrocitus.

“Come get some you ugly motherfucker!”

The other Red Lanterns moved to follow their leader, leaving Rankorr on the ground with the brainless Reds. Seeing Richard still among them, he felt at least a little better. Maybe this wouldn’t be so difficult after all.

* * *

The smell of blood wasn’t something Jason thought could ever make him sick. He’d grown up in the worst parts of Gotham, surrounded by the smell of sewage and shit day in and day out. Blood and vomit had been a regular addition to the mix, whether it be his own, his mom’s, or some random person wandering down the street. Moving in with Bruce hadn’t changed that, the smell seemed to always follow him, even into the pristine and well kept halls of Wayne Manor. Death had brought those smells up to eleven, and his time as the Red Hood certainly hadn’t done anything except further immunize him to the aroma. But this, oh this was something else entirely.

The Reds all had that stench on them, like a combination of old dried blood, mold, and burnt flesh. If it had been only one or two of them he might have been fine, but there was definitely more than a few here, and they and their fluids were way too close for comfort. He’d been vomited on far too much in his twenty-three years, he really didn’t need these fuckers adding to the list, especially with their bile burning through anything it hit.

He spun away as one of the Reds spewed their last meal at him. An energy beam right into the chest threw them across the field into more of the blood spewing fuckers. Bad idea, bad idea, they’re all charging him, shit. Surrounding himself in a bubble was the best he could do, struggling to hold the shield against the assault. He could hear others in the distance, Guy’s bellowing taunts against Atrocitus loudest amongst them. Kyle was somewhere, his cheesy quips answered by Donna and other Green Lanterns as he worked through them.

Cracks started to appear on his construct, pulling his attention back to the half dozen or so Reds literally on top of him. He’d only done a radial blast twice before, and each time had been pretty subpar, but at this point he didn’t really have much of an option. He started to pull the bubble closer, pumping more energy into it, ready to send it out in an explosion of light.

Just as he started to send out the wave of energy a green flyswatter slapped a few of the Reds away. Unable to stop the energy, Jason let it go, sending the remaining Reds flying away in a haze of violet light. He saw Hal in the corner of his eye, the Green Lantern surrounding himself in his own sphere of protection from the wave Jason sent out. Once the wave was past he flew down, blasting another Red away.

“Looks like you got that figured out,” he praised, pulling Jason to his feet. “Now, what do we need to work on next? I think Carol mentioned tethers? Then again, maybe we should keep focusing on your constructs.”

“Is now really the time?” Jason asked incredulously. “We’re kind of in the middle of a war zone here.”

“Oh my god, Jason Todd not wanting to talk about learning? Who are you and what have you done with my son?”

“I’m not having this conversation right now,” he grumbled, trying to keep the smile off his face as he scanned the area for any sign of Dick or this Rankorr guy.

“Hi ‘not having this conversation right now’, I’m Hal. You holding up okay?” Hal replied with a shit eating grin.

“Seriously? Dad jokes? Now?”

“You didn’t deny being my son a second ago or on the way here. I’m enjoying this way too much to stop.”

Jason rolled his eyes, catching sight of a human looking Red Lantern. He was heading for another Red with long, undulating strands of hair, the same kind that Dick possessed in the recordings he’d seen. Bingo.

“Well _Dad_ , I see my long lost brother, so if you’ll excuse me.”

Hal laughed behind him, loud and joyful as he blasted a path for him. “Don’t forget your curfew.”

Jason didn’t respond, too busy flying through the shit show that was the sea of Greens and Reds with the odd specks of blacks and blues. As he drew closer he could see Dick’s face, how wide and crazed his eyes looked, how his hair was snapping at Rankorr when he got too close. Dick was definitely not in his right mind, not at all. He’d never seen the other look like this, never the almost ten years since they’d met. 

Dick apparently noticed him, his face turning in his direction, bright red eyes tracking his approach in the same cold and calculated manner as when he’d follow a perp on a case. His lips pulled up into a snarl, revealing sharp fangs as blood dripped from his mouth. Rankorr moved to grab him, to keep him grounded, only to be thrown aside. Dick yelled, sounds of rage and hatred cascading as he launched himself at Jason, sharpened nails ready to rip him apart.

His shield could only separate him from Dick’s attack, not so much the impact of it. He flew back to the ground, only managing to soften the landing at the last second. Opening his eyes, he rolled away, inky black hair stabbing into the ground where his head just was. He pushed himself to his feet, keeping as far from Dick as he could. Okay, blood lake’s behind Dick to the right, he just needed to get him in, but he couldn’t get too close, not if he wanted to get out intact anyway.

“C’mon Dick, I know you’re in there,” he said, hands raised. He was met with another yell as Dick jumped at him, hair tearing into the ground as Jason spun away only to receive a foot to his stomach. He staggered back, eyes wide as the ground cracked and shattered where Dick pulled himself free. Shit, Dick’s always been able to hit well but that, oh that was definitely gonna bruise. “Okay, maybe now isn’t the time for a talk.”

Dick flew at him over and over, pushing him back and around, hair and bile and nails all aimed at Jason. This wasn’t Dick, he had to remind himself. He had his face, his voice, his moves, but this definitely wasn’t Dick, not right now,

He needed to get him in that damn lake, it was the only option he had. If he didn’t Dick would tear him to pieces. He made his advances, twisting and turning in the hope that he could lure Dick towards the lake. It seemed to be working, Dick’s mindless rage allowing him to follow Jason’s ruse without a second thought. It seemed like it would work, hell it was working, but that’s of course when he heard the yowl of a cat and felts its claws tear into his back.

Pain ripped through his back as the cat attached itself to him, something about Jason trying to steal away his master’s new toy being heard from its direction. Great, not just a cat, a talking cat. He just managed to jump away from Dick’s next attack, barely missing the rocks that flew up on impact. Dick moved to attack again, inhuman speed pushing him forward before Jason could fully grasp what was happening. 

He landed on his back, the cat’s screams of outrage muffled by the weight on top of it, no doubt tearing another path of destruction into his skin as it tried to escape. Dick seethed above him, inches from his face as he growled. “Left,” he snarled, teeth bared.

“What?” Jason asked, eyes trained on the fangs that were far too close for comfort. 

“You aaarrgh… lllleft!” he yelled

Red light appeared around Dick’s form, a red chain hauling him away from Jason. Dick flew backwards with a scream of outrage, leaving Rankorr to pull Jason up and peel the cat from his back.

“This damn cat is gonna be the death of me,” he grumbled as the thing spat at him. He constructed a ball around the cat, sending him flying even further than he sent Dick. Grabbing Jason’s arm he pulled him up as delicately as he could. “I would offer to help with the back, but well.”

“No time,” Jason agreed. “We need to get Dick in that lake, now.”

They’d been there far too long already, if they stayed much longer the Reds might get their advantage. They couldn’t risk that, not with Dick still here and locked inside his own head. 

“You’re not exactly in the shape to do that pal.”

Jason looked over, taking him in, the flaming hair, the white eyes. “I’ve done more with worse.”

Rankorr shook his head, eyes pointed towards the heavens. “Bloody Americans. You lot have a death wish I swear.”

They saw Dick approaching, his red light streaking across the sky. Gold was wrapped around his chest, Donna’s lasso holding him tight as she trailed behind him with Kyle close on their tale. Seeing the rope, an idea struck Jason.

“That’s it,” he whispered, bracing himself for Dick’s impact.

“Care to share with the class?”

“He’s only feeling rage right?” He raised his hands, forcing the gloves and gauntlets to disappear from them. “If I can make him feel something else that should distract him enough to drop him in the lake.” 

“And you expect to do that how?”

“The usual way.”

The two jumped up as Dick slammed into the ground, Donna managing to make a somewhat more graceful landing in spite of her still holding onto her lasso. Kyle came down, green light radiating from him as he went to create his constructs before he saw Jason running at Dick and got a good look at him back.

“Jay, your—”

“Not now Kyle.”

“But—”

“No!”

They were at the edge of the lake, making it that much easier when Jason tackled Dick into it. Dick thrashed around him, claws and hair digging into his back even more as he struggled to push the other man under the blood. It was a struggle to get a hold of him, to grab his face well enough that Dick couldn’t wiggle out. He could hear Donna and Kyle behind them, the two calling his name in alarm as he pushed Dick’s head under the blood. Just a little more, come on, just a little more and he can—

Feeling rushed into him, Dick’s growls and snarls escalating into yells and screams as Jason initiated the link. He could feel it all, the rage and the pain Dick was feeling in that moment, how it screamed louder than everything else. He pushed past it, past the wall of red, searching for his prize. Damian, look for Damian, he loved the kid like he was his own, find the spot with Damian, with the family. He found it, felt the emotions come up, felt as Dick froze in his hold, red eyes wide as the feelings and memories washed over him.

Taking the opportunity Jason pushed him down again, taking enough precaution to cover his face with a mask so he wouldn’t get the lake’s blood in his mouth or eyes. He carried Dick down, down, as far as he could until he felt that wall of red shake in the link, felt it begin to splinter under the lake’s influence. He took one last look at Dick, made sure to look into his eyes as he pushed as much of his love across the bond as he could. He let go, watching as Dick sank down into the red depths of the lake, down, down until Jason couldn’t see him anymore. 

“You better meet me at the top you bastard,” he whispered before he began the long swim up

He broke the surface of the lake, removing the construct mask so he could breath freely again. He heard his name, looked up to find Donna readying her lasso. He raised his arm, easily catching it so she could pull him back to shore. Kyle rushed to her side so he could help her pull Jason up. The battle continued behind them, though it seemed to be falling off quickly at this point, most Reds retreating or unconscious. Kyle tried to wipe Jason’s face clean of the blood, his construct towels only able to absorb so much of the vile liquid.

“Gonna need a damn tetanus shot,” Jason joked, receiving an annoyed look from his boyfriend.

“It’s not funny Jay,” he grumbled, pressing the constructs against his skin harder, completely ignoring what was happening around them. “He could’ve killed you.”

“He wouldn’t be the first,” he said with an easy smile.

He hadn’t meant anything by it, really, it was just a natural reaction to possibly dying anymore. Clearly Kyle didn’t agree based on how he squeezed his eyes shut, hands turning to fists as he put his head on Jason’s shoulder. It was sarcasm, a joke, why was he…?

“Kyle?” His eyes darted between of the mop of dark hair and Donna. “Kyle, baby, please. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it.”

“Kyle,” Donna’s voice was soft somehow, even with how firm she was being as she grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to face her. “I understand your frustration but this isn’t the place.”

“I know, I just..."

“All three of us have died at some point, we’ve all come back. We can talk about it when we are somewhere safe. Do not let your emotions cloud your judgement.”

Kyle sat up, looking back at her as he bit his lip. He nodded and turned back to Jason, leaning in to kiss his cheek. "Later," he promised. Before he could say anything else a loud roar tore across the field, voices yelling in their direction as it grew louder. Something big and heavy hit them, sending the three in separate directions. Jason wound up skidding on his back, no doubt tearing into the wounds already there. Stitches, he’d definitely need stitches after this.

“You dare,” a deep voice bellowed above him, hatred dripping with every word.

Looking up he was faced with yellow eyes filled with rage, teeth and nails sharp enough to rend flesh. Atrocitus, this was Atrocitus. Guy had shown him enough pictures to know who this was, to know this was a problem. “Don’t think you are leaving here alive boy.”

Fuck.

* * *

Pain, so much pain.

It was his head right? That’s what was pounding? There was something else, he could hear something, something like a trill, but not, high pitched and repeating over and over and over again. It hurt, like nails on a chalkboard, just digging into his ears, racking for his brain so it could claw its way in and rip it out. Oh god what was that sound?

Laughter? Laughter, but worse, the cackling of a madmen. 

There was something else, something beyond that scratchy pitch. Screams and yells, people calling out names, familiar people. What were they saying? Everything hurt, it hurt so much, his head, his chest, everything, please just make it end. A deep voice like a growl cut through the noise, panicked, terrified even. He’d never heard that voice like that before, never. But who was it? What was it saying? If he just knew maybe the pain would stop, maybe…

The words came like a slap in the face, forcing his eyes open, the scream of “Dick, get away from him!” rigging through his head.

Dick, his name was Dick, that was important, it was important. 

He was surround by red, so much red, it was everywhere. It didn’t seem to end. Red like cracked lips as they laughed at a dead boy, like the bile and blood and flames that engulfed a chalk white face, like the blood that poured from the shadows.

No no no this wasn’t happening, this couldn’t be happening, no!

He couldn’t breathe, oh god he couldn’t breathe. The red, it was everywhere, he was drowning in it, oh please no this couldn’t be happening.

He pushed himself up, eyes wide as he came face to face with a rotting corpse, the laughter still cutting in his ears, the Joker chanting “He picked me” over and over as the image of a batarang slicing through skin replayed itself in his head. This was a nightmare, none of this could be real, none of it.

Blackness surrounded him, strands of ink lining his vision as he pushed his way through the red. It took far too long to realize it wasn’t ink, to see that it was his own hair. It took even longer to look down, to see his fingers, clearly elongated and sharp even through the black and red gloves covering them.

More images, those fingers going through flesh, stabbing into darkness. No, not darkness, it was clothing, it was a cape and leather and Kevlar, skin and muscles, tendons and ligaments and veins. It was Bruce.

He tried to scream but the red stopped him, filling his throat and stopping any sound from exiting. He wanted to puke, felt it deep in his stomach, the need to retch and expel all these horrible things from his body. This was wrong, he’d never do that, never!

He swam to the surface, seeing fire, hair like the sun as he was pulled away from Bruce. Kori, he’d, he’d fought Kori. He’d hurt her too? There was a cat, the one from his apartment. The thing, it attacked her, grabbed on and wouldn’t let go, not until she dropped out of the sky. No no no that couldn’t be right, no!

But it was wasn’t it? The laughing and the blood and the fire and the pain, it was all real, he did that. How could he do that? 

What has he done?

He broke through the red, sputtering it out as he tried to gulp in the acrid air as soon as he was above the water’s surface. No, not water, it was…blood? And the sky, the sky it was yellow. Where was he? What happened to him?

He pushed the heel of his palms into his eyes. Maybe if he did that enough this would all stop. He knew it wouldn’t, it was a child’s dream that it could. It didn’t bring his parents back all those years ago, why would it work now?

It took him a minute to realize that the screaming and shouting were no longer in his head, they were around him. Turning he saw a familiar shade of green sprinkled amongst the red. Green Lanterns? What were they doing here? And why were there so many? Earth only had six right? This was, this was more than six for sure.

The yelling drew his attention again, all eyes trained on a red monstrosity as it stood over something, a violet light. Violet light, that was… The monster’s fist was pointed at the light, pointed at Jason. Dick couldn’t make out the words, couldn’t make of any words. All he could make out was the fire burning through him at the sight, the usually quiet thoughts of hatred and vengeance and death singing through him like a chant. The monster’s hand was glowing, the Greens moving towards it, shouts and cries filling the air, but they’d be too late. The closest green was stuck under something, someone in black being pulled away by another spot of red. For a split second time seemed to stop, the scene freezing before him, the sight of a bloody and hurt but very much alive Jason fueling him as he roared his anger to the heavens and flew at the monster.

He didn’t even feel the impact, no more than a small pressure on his shoulder, nor did he feel as his hair stretched and grew to grab and pull and stab at whatever it could. There was the satisfying squelch as it punched through, the cracking and popping as it pulled and twisted and broke something. Blood sprayed up, his arms digging in as he continued to yell and scream at this monster that would dare to try and take Jason away from him again.

Hissing came from his side, where the cat, the bastard feline that hurt Kori, jumped at him, claws extended and blood spraying from its mouth. He recoiled back, ready to meet the beast, only for a blast of violet light to send the cat flying away. He looked up, eyes wide as Jason stumbled over to him, relief on his face.

“Dick, you,” he dropped next to him, putting his hands on Dick’s shoulders as he swallowed, “you can let go now, its okay. Just breathe Dickie, just breathe.”

Everyone fell into silence around them, only a few Greens daring to move closer. He noticed now the Green he’d seen earlier, the one trapped in the rocks, was Kyle Rayner. Donna was next to him, pulling him out, both watching him and Jason carefully. Most of the Reds were backing away from them, eyes wide. Only one stayed close.

“Breathe Dick. Just let go, pull in a nice deep breath and breathe.”

Dick felt himself relaxing into the hands on his shoulders, the anger still present but no longer boiling. He looked down at the monster, at the Red Lantern below him, punctured by the streams of black. The hair started to twitch and sway, then began to slip through the holes it had created, thoroughly coated in the Lantern’s blood as it receded back to Dick.

“Oh god,” he gagged, unable to tear his eyes away. “I think I’m gonna be sick.”

“Just don’t get sick on him,” a British voice said next to him. “Sapphires don’t have the same resistance to the stuff that we do.”

Dick looked between the man and the monster, watched as he kicked the thing’s leg.

“He’ll be fine,” the man assured him. “First time I saw this guy he got stabbed clean through the chest, got right back up. Even if he didn’t, nothing for you to feel guilty over.”

“Come on Dick,” Jason said. “Let’s go.” He threw Dick’s arm over his shoulder, pushing them both up to a standing position as he grabbed Dick’s waist. “You’ll be alright here?” he asked the man.

“Yeah yeah. I have some unfinished business to take care of.” They looked at each other, some kind of silent conversation going on that Dick wasn’t privy to, before they nodded. 

Jason turned them to look at the others present. Getting the go ahead, his violet glow grew brighter. He leaned down to Dick, smiling as he said, “Better stay awake Dick, this is the best part.”

The ground disappeared from beneath Dick’s feet and for a second he panicked, his body flailing for purchase as Jason tried not to laugh at him. By the time they made it into the atmosphere Dick had a stable hold on the younger man.

They flew on in silence, the group surrounding them for a while. A few talked amongst themselves, others broke off and left, likely returning to their duties. He could see Donna and Kyle close by, a few others keeping a close eye on them as they all flew away from that horrid planet. It was then that Dick looked down and realized Jason was covered in the same red liquid he was.

“Jason you…” he started, unsure of what to say. Really, what even could he say? Jason hadn’t been there when everything happened, when he… but here he was, covered in the same blood that Dick had emerged from. He’d put Dick in the lake, clearly had to do it by force. He didn’t have to do that, he didn’t even have to be here. Dick was his own mess, Jason shouldn’t have to feel like he needed to fix him and his situation.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Jason whispered. “A lot of shit has happened, we’ll get it figured out alright? We’ll get you back to normal.”

Dick wanted to believe that, he wanted so much, but it was just so hard. The image of Bruce plagued his mind, the pain and terror in his gaze as Dick attacked him. “Bruce, did I, is he?”

He felt Jason’s hands tighten and him, noticed how his eyes darted over to Hal Jordan and the other Earth Lanterns, saw how he had to think over his words. “Bruce, he’s… it’s not pretty. I don’t know everything that’s wrong with him, but it’s a lot.” As Dick began to shrink in on himself he squeezed him tighter. “Hey, his days as Batman are over, but that doesn’t mean his days as Bruce are too.”

“Are you coming back?” 

Jason tilted his head, brows pinched at the question.

“Are you coming back to the family?”

Once again his eyes flashed to the Lanterns, his sight lingering a lot longer. “I don’t think so, not in the way you’d want me to.” He looked back at Dick, eyes telling of how his thoughts were running wild. “I’ve built something out here, something good. I finally have a family who loves and accept me. I’m not saying I don’t care about you and the others or that I don’t want to see you guys, I just…when I go back for any real ‘for good’ length of time, it’s not going to be under the same pretense we’ve been using for the last couple of years.”

Dick nodded, a lump forming in his throat. It made sense, and Jason had the right to make that decision, but it just… it hurt. He knew it wasn’t his fault, not entirely, but in some fucked up way with this ring on his finger and the fire coursing through his veins, it felt like it.

* * *

Jason didn’t know what to do. On some level he had an idea, certain words or phrases he should say to help, but none of them seemed appropriate in this situation. 

Dick hadn’t moved from his spot in the med bay since they landed on the Watchtower, his eyes trained on Bruce. He didn’t say anything, he didn’t have to. Jason knew that look, understood what Dick was feeling. He’d hurt someone, someone so dear to him, someone he cared about. He’d hurt the others, Damian and Tim and Alfred and everyone else through his action, through his anger. He’d killed a man, something he and the other bats swore to never do. Jason knew that look in his eyes, the self loathing, the hatred, the belief that he’d become a monster. 

Jason had known this would happen, had seen the guilt and self-hatred coming from across the galaxy, but having it right in front of him now… he was lost.

Dick didn’t want to see the other bats, or rather he didn’t want them to see him. Jason couldn’t blame him. Between his own hatred and the physical changes the ring had caused, Dick wasn’t in a healthy enough headspace to see them without hurting. He wanted to see them, he wanted to make sure they were alright and take care of them and fix whatever he thought he’d broken, but letting them see him like this, Jason could practically see the shame pouring off of him. 

While the ring hadn’t caused any major physical deformities like it seemed to cause in other Red Lanterns, it certainly hadn’t left him unscathed. For how obvious the hair and eyes were, his fingers were what really sold the deal on the creepy factor. Dick always had long fingers, so much so that Jason had to wonder how Alfred hadn’t talked him into playing the piano at some point. No, now those fingers were even longer, their tips ending in a harsh point. He hadn’t seen Dick without the gloves yet but they definitely weren’t responsible for that point. The eyes could be overlooked as contacts if he needed, or covered up with some. His hair, for how much it twitched and moved, could be controlled. Pulling it back into a ponytail seemed to have done the trick for now at least. So for the most part Dick was fine, he could blend in if need be. 

Except for those damn fingers.

Even if Dick went the self sacrificing route, keeping the ring as some fucked up form of punishment or repentance, Jason hoped there was at least a way for his hands to be changed back. Then again from the way Hal and Guy talked, in most cases the ring seemed to be an all or nothing situation. Guy could only site two times he could remember a red ring being removed without Mogo or a Blue Lantern’s help, and one of those people was Kara. Considering her Kryptonian biology it wasn’t that surreal to imagine she could survive it. Guy was the other, and while he wasn’t entirely sure how he did it, he believed his previous healings from the red ring may have had something to do with it. Like there had been an extra barrier created to stop the ring from permanently affecting him that final time, allowing his hope to win out and purge him of the red ring’s effects. Either way, if Dick was to get that ring off and survive they’d need help.

Dick heaved a sigh from his spot and Jason really couldn’t take it anymore. He moved through the doorway, finding Dick sitting against the wall opposite to Bruce. He was slouched, arms and legs limp where they wrapped around him. 

“Hey Big Bird,” he said as he slid down the wall next to Dick. Dick didn’t move to acknowledge his arrival, eyes still trained ahead, lifeless. After a moment of deliberation Jason put his arm around Dick’s shoulders, pulling him to his side. The older man went easily, his head slouching onto his shoulder even as his eyes remained focused ahead.

It took a while for Dick to say anything, his hands clenching and unclenching in preparation. “What happens now?” he whispered like he was afraid of the question.

“We help you,” Jason answered.

“But why? Look at what I did Jason,” Dick waved at Bruce, at the tubes and the bandages and all the machines. “God I, I did that, I almost killed him. If it wasn’t for Kori I would have. What is there to help? To save? Honestly?”

“Let’s be honest here Dick, is this really the worst you’ve lived through by now?” He looked to Dick, kept his voice and face neutral as he tried to come up with the right words. “You’ve gone through the ringer ever since you were a kid. You’ve lost friends and loved ones, you took up the Batman mantle and basically raised Damian all while grieving for Bruce. You died, then were sent away on some mission without getting the chance to work through that trauma. You’ve lead so many people even when your world was falling apart. People in this community look to you for guidance because to them you’re the shining example of what a hero is supposed to be. Since you’ve been gone they’ve been in a tizzy. It’s only been a few days but they don’t know what to do. What’s there to help? Put away the self less crap for a second and just focus on yourself for a moment okay? You’re allowed to help yourself you know.”

“Is that what you’ve been doing? While you’ve been away, is that why you’re more, I don’t know, confident I guess? Less silent and shrinking in on yourself.”

He paused, Dick’s words sending off a chain reaction in his mind as he thought it over. He really was, wasn’t he? “I guess so,” he answered, thumb rubbing circles into Dick’s shoulder. “I’ve had a lot of good support to get me through it, to talk some sense into me.”

“Good.” Dick leaned into his shoulder further, finally letting his eyes close.

“You know,” Jason said a while later. “Depending on how long it takes to get to wherever we need to go and to reverse whatever the ring did to you, we might be spending my Death Day together.” He felt Dick tense up, no doubt ready to launch a spiel about proper jokes like he always did. Jason patted his shoulder, a sad chuckle escaping his lips. “First time I’ll actually be able to spend it around people. Always had to isolate myself, people just stressed me out that day, you know? Especially the people I care about.”

Dick looked torn, like he wanted to argue but couldn’t bring himself to. He bit his lip, not even noticing how sharp his teeth were now as blood trickled down. Jason moved to wipe it away, sadness in his eyes. 

“It’s gonna be okay Dick, maybe not perfect, but it’s gonna be okay. I’ve got you.” He pulled back, willing his right arm bare as he lifted it to Dick’s still covered one. “I wanna show you something. I can read other people’s love, right? I’ve been able to start flipping it around, projecting my own.”

Dick stared dumbfounded. “That’s how you got me in that lake,” he said. “You broke through the rage with my own love.”

Jason laughed. “Got it in one. We sure you aren’t the family detective?”

Dick rolled his eyes, finally letting a smile cross his face. It fell as he pulled away his glove, squeezing his eyes shut at the sight, how his nails had hardened and morphed into claws.

“It’s alright Dickie, I’ve got you.”

He took Dick’s hand, concentrating on the feeling there. It was more difficult this way, showing someone rather than reading them, though he supposed it made sense. He felt the connection open and started to push through it.

Dick finally relaxed. Jason could still feel the rage simmering in him, but he didn’t touch it, made sure to completely avoid it. That rage, it was important right now, it’s what was keeping Dick alive. The rage needed to stay.

Dick leaned his head on his shoulder again, the extra contact opening the connection further.

“Thank you Little Wing.”

They’d get through this, they could fix Dick. They’d be fine. Jason would make sure of that.

* * *

Epilogue

Of all the people Dick could imagine having this talk with, who would sit down and with full seriousness and professionalism talk with him about his problems, what the Red Lantern power had done to him, and actually make an effort to make sure he didn't feel so damn alone in this, Guy Gardner had not been it. No, the Green Lantern was always so cocky, so damn full of himself, ready to screw around and pick a fight with just about anyone, this just didn't make sense. When he heard the name Guy Gardner he thought of the idiot who had mooned the Justice League, not this, this, whatever this was. 

A while after Jason had left Gardner came to him, said he was heading to grab dinner, that Dick should go with him, stretch his legs and all that. For every excuse Dick gave Gardner had a rebuttal, every annoyed glare or insult received a look of understanding in turn. It was almost like he'd planned this, like he knew what Dick was going to say even before he did. Maybe he did. Based on what he'd said so far, Dick wouldn't be surprised.

In their walk he'd asked Dick the usual questions, "How are you holding up?" "You adjusting okay?" "Any weird sensations or pains from the blood lake?" Well, maybe the last one wasn't that common, but the message behind it was. He was gauging how Dick was doing, trying to figure out if there had been any side effects to his swim in the lake. Dick didn't know how to deal with it, in a way he felt annoyed. Who the hell did Gardner think he was? He didn't need his sympathy, he didn't need his damn help. But at the same time it felt reassuring. For once he didn't have to be alright, he didn't have to act like he wasn't in pain and that the world wasn't going to shit around him. He just didn't know what to do with that though. The Lanterns had always been so far removed from the bats, Bruce's influence keeping them all even more separated thanks to whatever beef he had with whichever Lantern was on Earth at the moment. The idea of actually trusting one, of one not being a "colossal imbecile" as Bruce so regularly referred to Hal Jordan and his "merry band of flying green nutcases", was foreign. 

At some point the conversation moved past his current state, moved on to what had happened, what would happen if Dick kept the ring, what would happen if he didn't. Dick stopped responding at one point, just listened as Guy talked about his own time as a Red Lantern, how he'd gone in as an undercover agent for Hal only to overthrow Atrocitus and wind up leading the small Corp of six in their bid to do right with what they'd been handed. Dick could only listen as he spoke of the rage that fueled him, how he'd fought to both reject and accept it, how he'd wanted so much to be rid of that ring only to find out their one chance of getting it off had been destroyed, the hatred and betrayal he'd felt at being seemingly abandoned by his fellow Greens, by the people he trusted most. The self loathing, putting himself in harm's way, believing he had to be responsible for all of the rage left in the Earth after Atrocitus had attacked, wondering if it was all really worth it. 

It all rang too close to home for Dick, rang too much like the thoughts and feelings and emotions that had been running through his head for the past few hours. Feeling like the fate of the bats and the world rested on his shoulders, like he was somehow responsible for everything that went wrong, hating himself for so many things. 

Guy reached over, grabbing his hand without a care in the world, not evening looking twice at the distorted limb at he lifted it and met Dick's eyes. "This ring," he said, "it can be used for so much evil and hatred. But the thing is, it doesn't have to be. It can be used for good just like any other emotion can be used for evil, you just have to be aware of it. It controlled you once, the goal is to make sure it doesn't control you ever again." 

"After the ring comes off, when the Blue Lanterns or whoever heal me, what happens to the ring? Does it just disappear or...?"

"It'll usually seek out a new host," Guy answered, leaning back. "Sometimes the ring can be destroyed with the blue light, sometimes it gets away."

"And it takes another host."

"Yeah." He clapped him on the shoulder, his gaze keeping him rooted to the spot. “But that’s not something for you to worry about. There’ll always be more rings out there, more to be made. The only reason you should keep that is because you want to, not because you have some moral obligation to keep someone else from getting it, okay?”

He forced himself to nod, the severity of Guy’s words drilling themselves into him. They lapsed into silence as Dick stared down at his hands. He hated them so much, such a clear sign that something was wrong with him, that he wasn't right anymore. It hurt, but it was the truth. Guy chuckled next to him, something broken and self deprecating.

"You wanna know something kid?" Dick nodded, ignoring the kid comment for now. Guy wasn’t that much older than him, really, five or six years, nothing to be calling him kid over. "These rings, I don't even know what color they are." Dick look at him, long and confused at the words. Of course he knew what color their rings were, clearly he knew. "If nobody ever told me I was a Green Lantern I might've gone on thinking I was blue or purple or something. I can barely tell them apart. They're all just different shades of light and dark." He shook his head, looking back at Dick. "Guess what I'm tryina tell you is that it's not the color of the ring that matters kid, it's how you use it. And honestly, with your track record, can't say I'd be too worried about you if you decided to keep the ring." 

"But all the Red Lanterns back on Ysmault..."

"Not all of them. Yes, there's enough that are to cause a problem, but a lot of them are just hurting and they don't know what to do, so they let that rage take over, let the ring and Atrocitus control their actions. But there are a few working to limit that influence, and I'd say they deserve the support when they do." He looked over to Dick, offering him an understanding smile. "I'm not saying one way or the other what you should do, but think on it, alright? This is your life, you get the final say in what happens, not the bat, not the family, nobody but you."

Dick nodded, voice caught in his throat. Guy pushed himself to his feet, his arms stretching far above his head.

"We'll be heading out in a few hours. Get some sleep, and make sure you say your goodbyes before we go yeah? Heh, I think someone's already waiting for you on that."

Looking up, Dick found that the hallway wasn't as unoccupied as he'd thought it was. Damian stood a ways away, watching the two. His entire face screamed conflict as he took in the scene, his hands clenched as his eyes darted around the hall. 

"Come get me if you need anything, okay? We'll get you through this." 

"Yeah, thanks Guy," Dick murmured. The smile he received wasn't unexpected, but it wasn't unwelcome either.

Guy turned to leave, ruffling Damian's hair on his way. Damian scowled, swatting at the Lantern's arms as he laughed. Damian glared after him, never letting up until Guy turned the corner with a wave. He scrunched up his nose, lips taut, before turning and dropping into the now empty spot beside Dick with his arms crossed. 

"Tt, the nerve," he grumbled.

Dick couldn't hold back his laugh at the teenager, reaching out to ruffle his hair just as Guy had done. Damian stiffened for a moment, then relaxed into Dick's hold. He sank into Dick's side, letting his head land on his shoulder so Dick could wrap his arms around him. 

Damian caught sight of Dick's hand on his shoulder, his eyes widening at it. "Your hand," he said in awe as he grabbed it, studying the limb. "Your glove, how do you remove it?" he asked with genuine interest.

"Uh, wh-why?" Dick stammered, trying to pull his hand free only for Damian to hold tighter.

"I wish to see your hand, is that so wrong?" He rolled his eyes, then returned to studying the fingers, twisting and turning Dick's hand so he could see it from different angles. "It seems like the structure of your hand and fingers has been altered."

Dick hummed, uneasy at Damian's wish, but willed the glove away anyway. He could feel Damian running his fingers over the nails, checking their sharpness, feeling for the bones beneath his skin. Checking his face, Damian actually looked fascinated by them, eyes wide as he took in as much information as he could.

"You doing okay over there Little D?" he asked after a minute of silence, unsure of what else to do. 

"I am quite well, yes. The nail, it doesn't hurt does it?"

"No, it just feels like a really thick fingernail is all." 

"And no discomfort in your joints? Nothing to suggest that your skeletal makeup was altered?"

"Nope."

"Fascinating." 

Dick thought for a second, an idea forming. He hadn’t messed with his abilities yet, far too terrified of them to. But now, after his talk with Guy, maybe he could..."You know what else is cool?"

"What?" Damian looked to him, eyes shining with interest. Dick concentrated for a moment, felt as his hair shifted forward towards Damian. Damian leaned back, looking at the approaching strands with a critical eye. "Richard, we’ve talked about your hair," he grumbled. "I thought we agreed you aren't meant to keep it long." 

Dick laughed, pulling Damian closer. He held him there, rocking them both side to side as Damian curled further into him while studying Dick's hair. 

"Richard," Damian said, voice small and timid. "You will return to us, correct? You and Todd will come back?" 

Dick squeezed him tighter, leaning down to kiss the top of his head. "I can't talk for Jason, but I'll be back Dami. I don't know what I'll look like then, but I'll be back." 

"Good," Damian answered, nodding his head in agreement. He moved further into Dick's side, practically on his lap. They were both avoiding the topic, the one that laid on the other side of the Watchtower, the one that resided with a burnt corpse and a destroyed building in Gotham's Amusement Mile. They both knew that, but they were both unwilling to say anything.

"You'll be safe, yes?" A quiet voice asked.

"Of course Dami. And you better be safe too. You and everyone else alright? Can you do that for me?”

“Yes,” he answered eyes hard with determination. “You know I will.”

**Author's Note:**

> From this day forward it is no longer Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps, it is Hal Jordan and his Merry Band of Flying Green Nutcases.  
> I haven't quite decided if I'm gonna have Dick stay a Red Lantern or give it up. Both directions can go either really good or really bad character and plot wise so I'm at a bit of a crossroad now. Either way, mentor Guy with RLDick will be fun to play with.  
> I have the design for Dick over on my Tumblr so if you wanna see that or anything else, feel free to check it out here: [ do_not_careissa ](https://do-not-careissa.tumblr.com/)  
> 


End file.
